123 Ear complaints in a general population; the Normative data of the Otology Questionnaire Amsterdam in the Netherlands 6 Future work / research In order to further improve the interpretability of the OQUA, (norm)data of well-known groups or diseases can be calculated (e.g. patients with chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma, patients with an ossicular chain reconstruction, etc.). Next step to improve interpretation is to examine the Smallest Detectable Change (SDC) and even more important the Minimal Important Change (MIC). The MIC is the smallest change in score in the construct to be measured which patients perceive as important. In the validation studies of the OQUA in 2020 by Kraak et al. a MIC was already calculated for the impact subscale of the OQUA, for the complaint subscales no individual MIC was calculated yet.9 Conclusion Self-reported ear complaints, gathered in the general population are overall low. Relatively higher scores were measured in complaints among the younger ages. The OQUA subscale normscore for hearing loss and tinnitus are overall higher that the other complaints and especially higher in the older age. These normative data using the OQUA provide a reliable reference of the patients’ ear complaints and their impact on quality of life. These data are valuable in a shared decision-making consultation, providing better understanding of the patient’s ear complaints as compared to the general population. Together with the ongoing development of the Minimal Important change, the OQUA forms a very powerful tool for Value Based Healthcare given its validation for all ear diseases.
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