Abstract
Objectives To explore the opinions, the usage and the patient education given on nasal saline irrigation by physicians and pharmaceutical personnel working in Finland. Design An internet-based survey with predetermined, multiple-choice answers. Setting Primary care centres, occupational health centres and private care centres in Eastern Finland as well as pharmacies in Finland. Main outcome measures Healthcare professionals views, practice and general knowledge of nasal irrigation for sinonasal symptoms and conditions. Results We received 595 completed surveys (110 physicians, 485 pharmacists). The majority of the respondents recommended nasal saline irrigation for their patients either as a symptomatic treatment (98.0%) or to treat a specific condition (97.5%) such as acute rhinosinusitis, chronic rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis. Nasal saline irrigation was also often recommended as a prophylaxis for airway-infections (71.9%) and to enhance the health of the nasal mucosa (58.2%). In general, the possible adverse effects were recognised poorly by both professions. There was a clear difference between the two professions, as physicians were more conservative in recommending nasal saline irrigation and recognised possible adverse effects, such as epistaxis, pain, and dryness of the nose, better (75% vs. 59%, p = 0.002). Conclusions Nasal saline irrigation seems to be a popular treatment recommended by many health care professionals in Finland. Physicians and pharmaceutical personnel had variable opinions on the indications, utility and risks of nasal saline irrigation. There are also clear differences between physicians and pharmaceutical personnel’s practices. There is a need to better educate professionals about nasal saline irrigation and to further study whether nasal saline irrigation is efficient and safe option for the different common sinonasal conditions. KEY POINTS Little information is available on how physicians and pharmacists recommend nasal saline irrigation as a symptomatic treatment. Physicians and pharmacists seem to have variable opinions about the indications, utility and safety of nasal saline irrigation. The patient education given is in general very heterogenous. Both professions require more education to ensure that the usage remains as safe as possible for the patient.
Highlights
The prevalence of acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is about 6–15% in the Western world, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is 10% and allergic rhinitis (AR) is about 25% [1,2,3]
We aimed to explore the opinions, the usage and the patient education given on nasal saline irrigation (NSI) by physicians and pharmaceutical personnel working in Finland
There were no significant differences when comparing the answers in terms of working experience
Summary
The prevalence of acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is about 6–15% in the Western world, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is 10% and allergic rhinitis (AR) is about 25% [1,2,3]. The burden of sinonasal diseases is a global health and financial challenge. In the US the annual direct costs for CRS are 8.6 billion dollars and rhinosinusitis is one of the top-ten most costly health conditions when both direct and indirect costs are taken into account [1]. Many over-the-counter treatments claim to alleviate nasal symptoms, but their efficacy remains largely unproven [4].
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