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Lookup NU author(s): Kelly Lloyd, Dr Caroline WilsonORCiD, Sean Carrie, Emerita Professor Janet WilsonORCiD, David Hamilton, Dr Emma ClarkORCiD, Dr Nikki Rousseau
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. 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 â € 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. Trial registration number ISRCTN16168569.
Author(s): Lloyd KE, Wilson C, Carrie S, Rooshenas L, Wilson JA, Hamilton D, Clark E, Rousseau N
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: BMJ Open
Year: 2025
Volume: 15
Issue: 6
Online publication date: 08/06/2025
Acceptance date: 20/05/2025
Date deposited: 25/06/2025
ISSN (print): 2044-6055
ISSN (electronic): 2044-6055
Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
URL: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099395
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099395
Data Access Statement: Data are available on reasonable request. Although some participants gave consent for their anonymised transcripts to be shared with other approved researchers, they did not provide explicit consent for their interview data to be shared in public repositories. Therefore, data may not be made publicly available due to ethical restrictions. We can share the anonymised version of part of the data to individual qualified researchers on request. Requests to access the data should be made to the Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit who will consider requests in conjunction with the chief investigator, senior members of the clinical trials unit and sponsor.
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