Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36821636›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2023

Acute otitis media symptoms and symptom scales in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Penelope Abbott, Caitlin Frede, Wendy C Y Hu, Sanja Lujic, Steven Trankle, Letitia Campbell, Hasantha Gunasekera, Robyn Walsh, Amanda J Leach, Peter Morris and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 32% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. 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

12 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Penelope AbbottDepartment of General Practice, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4865-4823
Caitlin FredeDepartment of General Practice, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
Wendy C Y HuMedical Education Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1711-3808
Sanja LujicCentre for Big Data Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Steven TrankleDepartment of General Practice, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
Letitia CampbellKalwun Development Corporation, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Hasantha GunasekeraChildren's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Robyn WalshDepartment of General Practice, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
Amanda J LeachChild Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4638-8392
Peter MorrisChild Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
Kelvin KongSchool of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
Jennifer ReathDepartment of General Practice, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals · AUMenzies School of Health Research · AUKalwun (Australia) · AUThe University of Sydney · AUUniversity of Newcastle Australia · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience a high burden of otitis media. We collected data on symptoms associated with acute otitis media (AOM) in a clinical trial involving children receiving primary care at urban Aboriginal Medical Services. Two scales were employed to monitor symptoms over time: the AOM-Severity of Symptoms scale (AOM-SOS) and the AOM-Faces Scale (AOM-FS). This study took place at a mid-point of the un-blinded trial.

methodsWe examined symptoms at enrolment and day 7, and compared the scales for trends, and bivariate correlation (Spearman's rho) over 14 days. Responsiveness of the scales to clinical change was determined by Friedman's test of trend in two subgroups stratified by day 7 AOM status. We interviewed parents/carers and research officers regarding their experience of the scales and analysed data thematically.

resultsData derived from 224 children (18 months to 16 years; median 3.6 years). Common symptoms associated with AOM at baseline were runny nose (40%), cough (38%) and irritability (36%). More than one third had no or minimal symptoms at baseline according to AOM-SOS (1-2/10) and AOM-FS scores (1-2/7). The scales performed similarly, and were moderately correlated, at all study points. Although scores decreased from day 0 to 14, trends and mean scores were the same whether AOM was persistent or resolved at day 7. Users preferred the simplicity of the AOM-FS but encountered challenges when interpreting it.

conclusionWe found minimally symptomatic AOM was common among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in urban settings. The AOM-SOS and AOM-FS functioned similarly. However, it is likely the scales measured concurrent symptoms related to upper respiratory tract infections, given they did not differentiate children with persistent or resolved AOM based on stringent diagnostic criteria. This appears to limit the research and clinical value of the scales in monitoring AOM treatment among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Indexed as

Health Services, IndigenousOtitis MediaRespiratory Tract InfectionsAustralian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeoplesChildHumansParents

Identifiers

PMID36821636
PMCPMC9949645
OpenAlexW4321608512

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.