Layperson Perception of Symptoms Caused by the Sinuses. (8th February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Riley, Charles A.; Soneru, Christian P.; Navarro, Alvaro; Trinh, Lily; Abuzeid, Waleed M.; Humphreys, Ian M.; Akbar, Nadeem A.; Shah, Sharan; Lee, Jivianne T.; Wu, Tara J.; Schneider, John S.; McCoul, Edward D.
• Is Part Of: Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery. Volume 168:Number 5(2023)
• Page Start: 1038
• Page End: 1046
• Publication Date: 2023-02-08
• Subjects: health literacy -- hermeneutics -- infection -- sinusitis; Head -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Neck -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Otolaryngology -- Periodicals; 617.51
• DOI: 10.1002/ohn.197
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0194-5998

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: To assess the perceived symptoms caused by the sinuses as defined by otolaryngology patients and clinicians. Study Design: Multi‐institutional cross‐sectional study. Setting: Six academic outpatient otolaryngology practices. Methods: We performed a multi‐institutional, cross‐sectional study using a semantics‐based questionnaire. Consecutive patients were enrolled at 6 academic otolaryngology centers from June 2020 to May 2021. The primary outcome examined patient and provider definitions for the symptoms caused by the sinuses from a list of 28 proposed terms covering 6 general categories. These data were also collected from otolaryngology faculty at the same institutions. Results: Responses were obtained from 451 patients (54% female, mean age 48.3 years) and 29 otolaryngologists (38% female, mean age 37.4 years). Patients selected a median of 12 terms, compared to 8.5 for otolaryngologists. Among patients, the most frequently selected symptom domains were mucus (419, 92.9%), airflow (412, 91.4%), and pain (389, 86.3%). Compared to clinicians, patients more frequently selected symptoms related to the ear (difference, 48.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 34.8%‐59.3%), throat (difference, 35.7%, 95% CI, 22.0%‐47.5%), systemic (difference, 34.4%, 95% CI, 21.2%‐46.0%), mucus (difference, 20.5%, 95% CI, 10.2%‐30.6%), and airflow domains (difference, 19.0%, 95% CI, 8.4%‐29.3%). Multiple domains were selected by 98% of patients and 79% of providers. Conclusion: Semantic differences exist between patients and clinicians regarding the symptoms caused by the sinus with patients having a broader range of perceived symptoms. These differences may provide clues to improve communication between otolaryngologists and their patients.