The guideline was published as a supplement in the February 2016 issue of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.
The purpose of this multidisciplinary guideline is to identify quality improvement opportunities in managing otitis media with effusion (OME) and to create explicit and actionable recommendations to implement these opportunities in clinical practice. Specifically, the goals are to improve diagnostic accuracy, identify children who are most susceptible to developmental sequelae from OME, and to educate clinicians and patients regarding the favorable natural history of most OME and the clinical benefits for medical therapy (e.g., steroids, antihistamines, decongestants). Additional goals relate to OME surveillance, evaluating hearing and language, and managing OME detected by newborn screening. The target patient for the guideline is a child aged 2 months through 12 years with OME, with or without developmental disabilities or underlying conditions that predispose to OME and its sequelae. The guideline is intended for all clinicians who are likely to diagnose and manage children with OME, and applies to any setting in which OME would be identified, monitored, or managed. This guideline, however, does not apply to patients under age 2 months or over age 12 years.
Update Leadership: Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH (Chair), Jennifer Shin, MD, SM (Assistant Chair), Seth R. Schwartz, MD, MPH (Methodologist)
Guideline Update Group: Robyn Coggins, MFA, Lisa Gagnon, APRN, CPNP, Jesse M. Hackell, MD, David Hoelting, MD, Lisa Hunter, PhD, FAAA, Ann Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, Spencer C. Payne, MD, Dennis S. Poe, MD, Maria Veling, MD, Peter Vila, MD, Sandy Walsh