[Summary of the practice guideline 'Otits media with effusion' (second revision) from the Dutch College of General Practitioners].

Most children pass through a period of otitis media with effusion, which can be considered as a normal reaction of the body to viral or bacterial infections. The general practitioner provides education and advice regarding the favourable prognosis of the hearing loss and is alert to the detection of high-risk groups and an aberrant course. In most children with otitis media with effusion, the general practitioner can wait for the disease to take its natural course. Children with persistent otitis media with effusion whose development is retarded should be referred to an otorhinolaryngologist. The former screening for perceptive hearing loss in infants resulted in the detection of many children with otitis media with effusion. Children with abnormal results on the new form of neonatal auditory screening should preferably be referred to a centre for audiology.