Encuesta poblacional a usuarios de lavados nasales con agua de marseguimiento de la recomendación médica, hábitos de uso, percepción de beneficios y satisfacción global

Abstract

Introduction: There are few studies on the criteria for recommending the physiological seawater solutions and the adherence and satisfaction of the patients/users. Objective: Analyze the medical recommendation profile of nasal washes with isotonic solution of seawater, the follow-up of recommendation and overall satisfaction of the users. Materials and methodology: Observational, epidemiological, cross-sectional and multi-center study based on a medical record and a structured telephone survey of patients/users of nasal washes with isotonic microdiffusion of sea water. Results: A total of 175 physicians participated (87 paediatricians, 53 otolaryngologists and 35 allergists) and 1350 users were interviewed by telephone. The main reasons for recommendation: nasal congestion (65.2%), rhinitis (34.6%) and hygiene (30.6%). The most recommended pattern was 3 washes daily for 3 weeks. 95% of users followed the doctor's instructions. The main benefits were improvement of nasal congestion (85.2%), mucus (77.7%), rhinorrhea (75.6%) and difficulty in breathing (72.2%). 66.4% reported having shortened sick days and 52.8% that had reduced the use of other medications. The overall assessment of the product was good or very good in 93.85% of the cases. Conclusions: The follow-up by the patient/user of medical recommendation on nasal washes with seawater solutions is high and does not interfere in an important way with the daily routine of patient. The main benefit is the reduction of nasal congestion, mucus and difficulty in breathing, as well as the shortening of sick days and the lower consumption of medications. Two out of three subjects consider their use better than traditional physiological saline.