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Published on: February 23, 2014
The burden of acute otitis media on the patient and the family
David Greenberg1, Natasha Bilenko, Zvika Liss
1The Paediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Soroka University Medical Centre, Beer-Sheva, Israel. dudi@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
Insights
Acute otitis media (AOM) significantly impacts families, causing reduced quality of life and increased healthcare use. This common childhood illness leads to substantial parental work absences and child daycare disruptions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Acute otitis media (AOM) is a prevalent childhood illness.
- The comprehensive burden of AOM on patients and families requires detailed investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the impact of acute otitis media on patients and their families.
- To assess the associated healthcare utilization and economic consequences.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 150 children diagnosed with AOM and 51 matched controls.
- Interviews with parents collected data on healthcare visits, medication use, workdays lost, and quality of life impacts over 21 days post-diagnosis.
- Comparison with age- and neighborhood-matched controls provided a baseline.
Main Results:
- Children with AOM experienced significantly more non-routine days (18.5 vs. 3.4), primary health center visits (2.6 vs. 0.4), and emergency room visits (0.2 vs. 0.1) compared to controls.
- Parents of children with AOM reported significantly more lost workdays (1.6 for mothers, 0.6 for fathers) and longer child absenteeism from daycare (3.5 days).
- Antibiotic and over-the-counter medication use was substantially higher in the AOM group (9.0 and 7.0 days, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Acute otitis media imposes a significant burden on children and their families.
- The condition leads to considerable healthcare resource utilization and substantial economic impact due to lost productivity.
- Findings underscore the importance of managing AOM effectively to mitigate its wide-ranging effects.
Unlabelled:
The aim of our study was to determine the burden of acute otitis media (AOM) on patients and their families. Parents of children with AOM were interviewed with regard to the week preceding the AOM diagnosis and every 3 days henceforth for an additional 21 days. The interview included information on loss of workdays, use of health care services and impact on the patient's and family's quality of life. Parents of age- and neighbourhood-matched controls were interviewed in an identical manner. A total of 150 patients and 51 controls were included in the analysis. The following variables differed significantly ( P<0.001) between patients and controls (mean +/- SD): non-routine days 18.5+/-11.0 in patients versus 3.4+/-6.5 in controls; number of visits to primary health centres 2.6+/-1.6 versus 0.4+/-0.6; number of emergency room visits 0.2+/-0.5 versus 0.1+/-0.02 and number of visits to an otolaryngology clinic 0.3+/-0.6 versus 0. Days of antibiotic and over the counter drug use were 9.0+/-5.6 versus 0.3+/- 0.9 and 7.0+/-6.0 versus 4.9+/-6.0, respectively per episode. The mean loss of workdays per child was 1.6+/-1.8 in patients versus 0.25+/-0.6 in controls, for working mothers and 0.6+/-1.1 versus 0.1+/-0.4 for working fathers; duration of absenteeism from day care facilities was 3.5+/-2.5 versus 0.9+/-2.7.
Conclusion:
Acute otitis media significantly reduces the quality of life of both child and parents, causes substantial use of medical services and significant loss of workdays.
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