AOM-SOS version 5.0

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Background: Symptoms guide the clinical care of children with acute otitis media (AOM). Symptoms prompt parents to seek evaluation for their children. Moreover, use of antimicrobial treatment for AOM is based on the presumption that children treated with antimicrobials improve faster than untreated children. The American Academy of Pediatrics guideline regarding treatment of AOM recommends using symptoms to decide between treatment with antimicrobials or continued (watchful waiting) in older children with non-severe AOM. Symptoms also guide practitioners in their management decisions; children with persistent or worsening symptoms after 48-72 hours are reevaluated. Given the importance of symptoms in clinical practice, a valid and reliable measurement strategy is needed to allow measurement of AOM of symptoms in children.    Technology: Inventors from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have developed and validated a symptom severity scale for children with acute otitis media. Recently the group has developed a new version of the AOM-SOS with better psychometric properties. The use of this scale will allow researchers to more easily study the effectiveness of various therapeutic modalities in reducing symptoms of AOM. It will also facilitate between trial comparisons.  Scale is copyrighted by the University of Pittsburgh Available for license