Assessment of Quality-of-Life Measurement Instruments for Chronic Otitis Media: A Systematic Review Using the COnsensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) Checklist

The purpose of our study is to assess the psychometric measurement properties of various questionnaires for quality of life in adult patients with chronic otitis media (COM) using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis protocol and the COnsensus based Standard for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist. A thorough electronic search was performed with a date limitation of 23rd September 2021 using the following five electronic databases: OVID, Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Scopus. Only full-text articles in the English language about the development or validation of a self-administered measurement instrument to assess QOL in COM patients (>= 18 years) that assesses one or more of the measurement properties developed by the COSMIN guidelines were included in the study. Five studies were found evaluating four self-administered questionnaires: the Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Inventory-21 (ZCMEI- 21-E), the Chronic Otitis Media Benefit Inventory (COMBI), the chronic otitis media questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) and the chronic ear survey in COM patients. Most of the PROMs included in our review did not meet the proposed criteria and need further validation. The ZCMEI-21-E performed better than other available PROMs based on the present review. The present study clarified the quality of currently available HRQoL instruments for COM. Using the COSMIN guidelines, it was shown that there are areas for improvement in study designs evaluating many of the PROMs currently being used in the COM. PROMs should follow COSMIN guidelines to adequately assess the Health-Related Quality of Life of patients suffering from various illnesses.