Validation of a Spanish version of the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) measure for Chronic Otitis Media (COMQ-12)

Abstract

Background Evaluation of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered an important aspect of clinical assessment and health research. Chronic Otitis Media (COM) is related to the quality of life deterioration subsequent to COM symptoms, social communication impairments and lower work performance. However, there is no reliable information regarding the impact of this disease on health and quality of life in many resource-poor countries. Therefore, we translated into Spanish and culturally adapted the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) for the evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of Chronic Otitis Media (COM) in adult patients. Also, we assessed the psychometric properties of our version of the questionnaire.Methods Two otology referral centers in Bogotá, Colombia were included. The Spanish version of COMQ-12 was applied twice to 200 adult patients with confirmed COM diagnosis and to 31 healthy controls in order to perform the validation process and assess the internal consistency of this questionnaire. Psychometric characteristics (replicability, reliability, and validity) of the COMQ-12 were assessed. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted via structural equation modeling (SEM) in order to test the questionnaire’s structure.Results The Spanish version of the COMQ-12 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha=0.8526, McDonald’s Omega = 0.8901). Coefficients corresponding to Lin’s Concordance test and test-retest reliability were 0.945 and 0.82 respectively. Correlation between the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the COMQ-12 was = 0.676 (IC 95% = 0.593; 0.745). Factor analysis of the Spanish version of the COMQ-12 indicated a questionnaire structure with three domains: smelly discharge related symptoms; hearing loss related symptoms; and impact on work, lifestyle and health services.Conclusion This Spanish version of the COMQ-12 showed high reliability and high internal consistency. This questionnaire can be used as an objective clinical tool to assess the HRQoL of patients who have a COM diagnosis.

Associated factors, health-related quality of life, and reported costs of chronic otitis media in adults at two otologic referral centers in a middle-income country

“…This questionnaire has gained international recognition due to its strong psychometric properties and its usefulness for assessing quality of life in patients with COM [18,20]. The Spanish version of COMQ-12 that was used in this study has been previously adapted and validated in the Spanish language [21]. The Spanish version of the COMQ-12 questionnaire includes 12 self-assessment questions grouped in four categories: questions 1 through 7 are related to the severity of symptoms, questions 8 and 9 inquire about the impact of the disease on work and lifestyle, questions 10 and 11 measure the impact of COM on health services, and question 12 is a visual analog scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 5 that quantifies the global quality of life.…”

“…Quality of life in patients with COM was assessed using the Spanish version of the COMQ-12 questionnaire [21]. Previous studies report that patients with active COM obtained higher overall COMQ-12 scores [3,20,24], suggesting that the quality of life could be significantly deteriorated in patients with active COM.…”

“…This sample size granted a significant statistical power of the tests we carried out. The Spanish version of COMQ-12 questionnaire for the evaluation of patients' quality of life is also highlighted since this scale has international recognition and previous studies suggest that it obtained reliable and homogeneous statistical results [3,21,24].…”

“…"Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Questionnaire-12" (COMQ-12) is an internationally recognized HRQoL scale for COM and has been validated in several languages and for differing socio-cultural backgrounds [3,20]. Although COMQ-12 having been recently validated in the Spanish language [21], there is still no reliable information regarding the impact of COM on patients' quality of life in Hispanic countries.…”