Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31989271›Full record

ArticleEuropean 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 Surgery2020

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 Bächinger, Robert Mlynski, Nora M Weiss

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article 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. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. A novel instrument for assessing health-related quality of life in French patients: translation and multi-centre validation of the Zurich chronic middle ear inventory (ZCMEI-21-Fr).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 · 2025
    Article
  4. Health-related quality of life in patients after endoscopic or microscopic cholesteatoma surgery.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 · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Characteristics of health-related quality of life in different types of chronic middle ear disease.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 · 2021
    Article
  11. Mapping the ChOLE classification to hearing outcomes and disease-specific health-related quality of life.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
    Article
  12. Mastoid cavity obliteration leads to a clinically significant improvement in health-related quality of life.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
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

David BächingerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Robert MlynskiDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery "Otto Körner", University Medical Center, Doberaner Strasse 137-139, 18057, Rostock, Germany.
Nora M WeissDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery "Otto Körner", University Medical Center, Doberaner Strasse 137-139, 18057, Rostock, Germany. nora-magdalena.weiss@med.uni-rostock.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0645-3591
University of Rostock · DEUniversity of Zurich · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimTo determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Inventory (ZCMEI-21), a questionnaire assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in chronic otitis media (COM).

methodsIn this longitudinal study, 103 patients completed the ZCMEI-21 before and after surgery for chronic otitis media. An anchor-based method including a global rating of change (GRC) was used to assess the MCID of the ZCMEI-21.

resultsA total of 103 patients were included. The mean preoperative and postoperative ZCMEI-21 scores were 28.6 (SD 13.6), and 21.8 (SD 12.8), respectively. The mean change was 6.8 (SD 0.8; p < 0.0001). A significant correlation between the ZCMEI-21 scores and the GRC was found (r =  - 0.5; p < 0.001). Using the anchor-based method, the MCID of the ZCMEI-21 was estimated at 5.3 (SD 12.0).

conclusionsKnowledge 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.

Indexed as

Minimal Clinically Important DifferenceOtitis MediaQuality of LifeAdultAgedChronic DiseaseEar, MiddleFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedOtologic Surgical ProceduresPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresProspective StudiesTreatment OutcomeChronic otitis mediaCOMHRQoLMCIDQuality of life

Identifiers

PMID31989271
PMCPMC7072039
OpenAlexW3002931352

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.