Chronic rhinosinusitis: patient experiences of primary and secondary care - a qualitative study.

Objectives: To explore the experience of CRS and its management from the perspective of patients with CRS. To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative study exploring sinus disease.

Design: Semi-structured qualitative interviews.

Setting: ENT outpatient clinic.

Participants: Twenty-one adult patients with CRS: 11 male, 10 female. Patients suffered from a range of types of CRS (including polyps and fungal disease) and differing durations of symptoms (1.5-47 years). Participants were purposively selected. Thematic analysis was used.

Outcome Measures: Patient experience of CRS and its management.

Results: Patients had concerns regarding management of their symptoms by both healthcare professionals and themselves, including delays to referral and repeated medications. They reported reduced quality of life and high financial and psychosocial costs associated with living with CRS.

Conclusions: Despite guidelines for CRS treatment, outcomes remain variable leading to dissatisfaction with treatment. Adherence to existing guidelines may result in fewer repeated consultations in primary care and earlier referrals to secondary care.