The Otology Questionnaire Amsterdam: a generic patient reported outcome measure about the severity and impact of ear complaints. A cross-sectional study on the development of this questionnaire

Abstract

Objective

Development of the Otology Questionnaire Amsterdam (OQUA); a patient reported outcome measure (PROM), measuring the severity and impact of ear complaints of patients visiting an ENT surgeon.

Design

Multicenter, cross-sectional study.Phase 1: qualitative research. In depth interviews (N=16) to identify relevant types of ear complaints and to formulate items. Pilot study of the first and second draft of the OQUA (N=32, N=39). Phase 2: quantitative research. Field-testing of the OQUA (N=352). Item reduction based on inter-item correlation, factor analysis and expert opinion.

Setting

Two secondary and two tertiary ENT clinics.

Participants

Patients over the age of sixteen visiting an ENT surgeon with an ear complaint.

Main outcome measures

Phase 1: meaning units and frequency of selected descriptions. Phase 2:inter-item correlation, factor loading and Cronbach's Alpha (α).

Results

Phase 1: eight relevant types of ear complaints were identified: earache, pressure in ear, hearing loss, tinnitus, otorrhoea, itch, dizziness and loss of taste. Phase 2: factor analysis generated a factor 'impact' (α = 0.913). The current version of the OQUA consists of 34 items, covers eight types of ear complaints and consists of two constructs: complaints and impact.

Conclusion

The OQUA is a generic, otologic PROM designed to evaluate the severity of ear complaints and their impact on patients lives.

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