Otitis media with effusion (OME) and AOM foundations for advanced practice

This teaching module provides a structured, clinically focused overview of otitis media in children, including pathophysiological models underpinning OME and AOM and high-level differentiation of OME, AOM, recurrent AOM, and CSOM. It emphasises risk stratification (age, duration, laterality, severity, and developmental risk factors), surveillance principles (what constitutes stability versus deterioration), and standardised otoscopy terminology (e.g., retraction, air–fluid level, opacification, and mobility proxies). Content integrates clinical features, diagnostic criteria, referral and management pathways for OME, rAOM, and myringitis, with an applied approach to synthesising extended history, assessment findings, and clinical observations to support informed diagnostic decision-making