The use of hearing devices for children with persistent otitis media with effusion: a scoping review.

Objective: The aim of this scoping review was to summarise the current evidence on the use of air and bone conduction hearing devices for children with persistent OME.

Design: A scoping review was conducted and online databases were used to search for peer review evidence. The review method followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses for scoping reviews - PRISMA-ScR.

Study sample: Children (<18 years) with persistent otitis media with effusion.

Results: Database searches initially yielded 1490 articles. After abstract screening and full text review (n = 917), 5 articles were included for analysis. Definitive conclusions could not be drawn due to the paucity and low quality of the data, as well as the evident bias present. The limited qualitative data suggests that most participants appeared to benefit from their hearing devices, with high levels of parental satisfaction. Some negative effects associated with device use were identified, with reports of children feeling self-conscious and experiencing teasing.

Conclusions: A subjective consensus indicated that hearing devices provided benefit for children with persistent OME. Significant gaps in the evidence remain due to the limited availability of data. Further research is required to determine the best outcome measures, and to compare OME management strategies.