Authors (including presenting author) :
Lau YF (1), Kwan KC (1), Yip MW (1), Tong FM (1), Cheung AS (1)
Affiliation :
Department of Ears, Nose and Throat, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Introduction :
Nasal saline douching (NSD) is a recommended treatment for various nasal and paranasal sinus conditions. It is safe for patients with acute and chronic rhinosinusitis and after nasal surgeries. However the efficacies and compliance of the therapy in our local population remain to be assessed.
Objectives :
We sought to evaluate the effectiveness, treatment compliance rate and reasons for non-compliance to NSD in our patients and identify areas for improvement.
Methodology :
We prospectively recruited 100 consecutive patients who required NSD. Each patient received a formal training by a skilled ENT nurse in a one-to-one basis, supplemented by a teaching pamphlet. A questionnaire survey was completed in the next follow up.
Result & Outcome :
Regardless of indications for NSD, majority of patients (68%) reported improvement in symptoms, decrease in frequencies (56%) and duration of each flare-up (54%). In particular, 81% of patients reported improvement of symptoms in the allergic and chronic rhinitis patient group. More than half of these patients conveyed decrease used of steroid nasal spray and anti-histamine after NSD (58% and 53% respectively). The overall compliance rate of NSD was 78%. Reasons for non-compliance include insufficient free time (7 patients, 32%), failure to learn the correct technique (6 patients, 27%), discontinued due to discomfort of the procedure (3 patients, 14%) and others (6 patients, 27%). In conclusion, NSD is a safe, well tolerated and effective treatment for various rhinological diseases. Conveying patients of the effectiveness and better education may further improve patients’ compliance for this treatment.
