The Hindi Version of Chronic Otitis Media Outcome Test-15 Questionnaire: The Linguistic and Cultural Adaptation

Chronic otitis media (COM) manifests as ear discharge, ear pain, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and dizziness. People of all ages and genders are affected by this illness, which lowers their quality of life (QoL) by causing social shame, retreat, and sadness. To evaluate the impact of the condition and the effectiveness of treatment on patient’s QoL, a subjective assessment is necessary. Bauman et al . developed COM Outcome Test-15 (COMOT 15) questionnaire which accurately captures clinical symptoms as well as functional and psychological restrictions. The purpose of the project is to translate and validate the Hindi version of the COMOT 15 questionnaire. The study is a prospective instrument validation study that is carried out in two stages. The COMOT-15 questionnaire was translated into Hindi in two parts, the first of which includes translating the original English form and the second part assesses the reliability of the translation. The second phase started once the Hindi COMOT 15 questionnaire has been developed. The study included 75 willing participants visiting the ENT department who have a clinical diagnosis of COM. The participants’ mean age is 25.04. The average COMOT 15 score is 34.67 (13.22). The internal consistency was established using a Cronbach’s α of 0.81. The “Hearing Function” and the “mental function” scale demonstrated a substantial association ( P < 0.001) when compared to the pure-tone average. The translated version of COMOT 15 questionnaire has good internal consistency and is linguistically and culturally acceptable making it accessible to a wider North Indian population.