Objectives: To translate and validate the Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Inventory (ZCMEI-21) for the English language in order to provide an English instrument to assess health-related quality of life in chronic otitis media (COM).
Design: Pilot translation study including cognitive debriefings, prospective multicentre cross-sectional psychometric validation study.
Setting: Four tertiary referral centres in three different English-speaking countries (UK, USA and Australia).