Healthcare professionals’ and patients’ views and experiences of surgical and medical treatment for nasal obstruction: a qualitative interview study for a Nasal Airway Obstruction Study (NAIROS)

Objectives

To understand healthcare professionals’ and patients’ views and experiences of septoplasty and medical management (ie, nasal steroid and saline sprays) for nasal obstruction.

Design

Nested qualitative study as part of the Nasal Airway Obstruction Study (NAIROS) trial. We used in-depth interviews to develop a coding framework based on thematic analysis.

Setting

NAIROS was a trial based in the UK from January 2018 to December 2020 that aimed to compare the effectiveness of septoplasty versus medical management.

Participants

We purposively sampled and interviewed 14 healthcare professionals (surgeons, research nurses) and 31 patients involved in the NAIROS trial across 14 UK hospital sites.

Results

In usual practice, surgeons’ decisions regarding treatment for nasal obstruction are based on a complex assessment of patients’ symptoms, history and anatomy. Surgeons viewed septoplasty as a complex although routine operation, which is not guaranteed to improve symptoms of nasal obstruction. Some patients saw septoplasty, intuitively, as a ‘fix’ for a bent septum, whereas others were keen to avoid surgery if possible. Healthcare professionals welcomed the increased use of standard measurements if these were shown to provide a reliable guide to patient outcomes. However, they felt that it was important to retain an element of clinical judgement. Despite generally good outcomes from septoplasty, some patients still felt they had received little to no benefit from the operation. Patients also reported being underprepared for postsurgery recovery. Experiences were more varied with medical management, with some experiencing symptom improvement, but others discontinuing treatment due to difficulty or pain using the sprays, or perceived ineffectiveness. Remembering to use the sprays could be perceived as burdensome, although most patients were able to incorporate this into their daily routines.

Conclusions

Our qualitative study demonstrated varied individual experiences among patients undergoing septoplasty and medical management. Surgeons welcomed more standard measurements to guide decision-making for septoplasty. For patients, better information about treatment mechanisms, treatment delivery and aftercare, and the development of decision support tools would enable shared decision-making and help to provide optimal patient experience of the treatments.