Validation assessment of the Chinese-version Chronic Ear Survey: a comparison between data from English and Chinese versions.

The Chronic Ear Survey (CES) is a valid, disease-specific measure for the evaluation of health status and treatment effectiveness for adults with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). This study compares the validation properties of the English and Chinese versions of the CES. The CES was translated into Mandarin Chinese by means of a parallel model. The Chinese version of the CES (CCES) was administered to 103 patients in a prospective manner, then was validated according to established criteria for reliability, validity, and longitudinal sensitivity. The CCES demonstrated good test-retest reliability and internal consistency (Cronbach's a = 0.81). The CCES significantly correlated with the Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan) version of the generic 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (TSF-36). The standardized response mean for the CCES total score was 2.1, indicating excellent sensitivity to clinical change. This validation study demonstrated that the performance characteristics of the CCES were equivalent to those of the English-version CES. The CCES is a valid tool for evaluation of adults with CSOM among the Chinese-speaking population.