Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
Scand J Prim Health Care. 2021 Mar;39(1):35-43. doi: 10.1080/02813432.2021.1880123. Epub 2021 Feb 11.
To explore the opinions, the usage and the patient education given on nasal saline irrigation by physicians and pharmaceutical personnel working in Finland.
An internet-based survey with predetermined, multiple-choice answers.
Primary care centres, occupational health centres and private care centres in Eastern Finland as well as pharmacies in Finland.
Healthcare professionals views, practice and general knowledge of nasal irrigation for sinonasal symptoms and conditions.
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%, = 0.002).
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 POINTSLittle 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.
探讨在芬兰工作的医生和药剂师对鼻腔盐水冲洗的看法、使用情况和患者教育。
基于互联网的调查，采用预设的多项选择答案。
芬兰东部的初级保健中心、职业健康中心和私人护理中心以及芬兰的药房。
医疗保健专业人员对鼻腔冲洗治疗鼻-鼻窦症状和疾病的看法、实践和一般认识。
我们共收到 595 份完成的调查（110 名医生，485 名药剂师）。大多数受访者建议他们的患者使用鼻腔盐水冲洗，无论是作为对症治疗（98.0%）还是治疗特定疾病（97.5%），如急性鼻-鼻窦炎、慢性鼻-鼻窦炎和变应性鼻炎。鼻腔盐水冲洗也常被推荐用于预防气道感染（71.9%）和增强鼻腔黏膜健康（58.2%）。总的来说，这两种职业对可能的不良反应认识都很差。这两个职业之间存在明显差异，因为医生在推荐鼻腔盐水冲洗和认识可能的不良反应（如鼻出血、疼痛和鼻腔干燥）方面更为保守（75%比 59%，=0.002）。
鼻腔盐水冲洗似乎是芬兰许多医疗保健专业人员推荐的一种受欢迎的治疗方法。医生和药剂师对鼻腔盐水冲洗的适应证、效用和风险有不同的看法。医生和药剂师的实践也存在明显差异。有必要对专业人员进行更好的鼻腔盐水冲洗教育，并进一步研究鼻腔盐水冲洗对不同常见鼻-鼻窦疾病是否是有效和安全的选择。
关于医生和药剂师如何将鼻腔盐水冲洗作为对症治疗推荐，信息有限。医生和药剂师似乎对鼻腔盐水冲洗的适应证、效用和安全性有不同的看法。患者教育总体上非常多样化。这两个职业都需要更多的教育，以确保使用对患者尽可能安全。
