Establishing the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Inventory (ZCMEI-21) in patients treated for chronic middle ear disease.
David BächingerRobert MlynskiNora Magdalena WeissPublished in: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (2020)
Knowledge of values indicating a clinically relevant change in patient-reported outcome measures is important when interpreting effects of different treatment modalities. This is the first study assessing the MCID of a questionnaire measuring HRQoL in COM, i.e. the ZCMEI-21. We recommend a MCID of 5 in COM patients undergoing surgical treatment. This information substantially increases the usefulness of the ZCMEI-21 as an outcome measure in COM as changes can be assessed with regard to their clinical meaningfulness.