Introduction: Sinus infections are a common reason patients seek medical care. However, the intended meaning of the term ‘sinus infection’ among patients and otolaryngologists is incompletely defined.
Methods: In this cross-sectional, multi-institutional survey, a semantics-based questionnaire was provided to consecutive patients presenting to otolaryngology clinics at six academic centers from June 2020 until May 2021. The primary outcome was respondent definitions for sinus infection from a list of twenty-eight proposed terms covering six general categories. Secondary outcome measures included determining differences between geographic regions and education levels.
Results: Responses were obtained from 400 patients (55% female, mean age 49.7 years) and 26 otolaryngologists (36% female, mean age 37.3 years). Both groups selected a median of 10 terms to define a sinus infection. Among patients the most frequently selected symptom categories were mucus (360, 90.0%), pressure/pain (346, 86.5%), and airflow (338, 84.5%). Compared to patients, clinicians selected with greater frequency the symptom categories of pressure/pain (13.5% difference; 95% CI 5.8%-21.5%), mucus (10% difference; 95% CI 4.2%-17.4%) and airflow (11.7% difference; 95% CI 3.7%-20.7%) domains. Multiple categories were selected by 96% of patients and 100% of providers.
Conclusion: The definition of ‘sinus infection’ appears to be variable and ambiguous for many patients, while clinicians have a more focused definition. Patients commonly describe sinus infection in the context of pain-related symptoms. Appreciation of these semantic differences may enable more effective patient-clinician communication.