Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jul:2:119-26.
doi: 10.2147/PROM.S19195. Epub 2011 Jun 16.

Development of a questionnaire to assess experience and preference of intranasal corticosteroids in patients with allergic rhinitis

Bruce Crawford  1 , Richard H Stanford, Audrey Y Wong, Anand A Dalal, Martha S Bayliss
Affiliations

Development of a questionnaire to assess experience and preference of intranasal corticosteroids in patients with allergic rhinitis

Bruce Crawford et al. Patient Relat Outcome Meas. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Allergic rhinitis affects 10%-20% of the US population. Its chronic nature, combined with patients' perceptions of safety/efficacy, administration, and sensory attributes of nasal sprays (corticosteroids), impact patient adherence to therapy. The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of experience with and preference for corticosteroid therapy for treatment of allergic rhinitis.

Methods: Questionnaire development was conducted through qualitative research including concept elicitation and content testing in 153 patients with allergic rhinitis. Patient focus groups (n = 66), in conjunction with content confirmation and saturation in additional groups (n = 87), provided research data. A literature-based conceptual framework was incorporated into the interview guide. An iterative process of data collection, analysis, and theory development yielded the conceptual framework.

Results: Consistent comments from the focus groups combined with those from cognitive debriefing interviews led to the incorporation of 14 finalized attributes into the Experience with Allergic Rhinitis Nasal Spray Questionnaire (EARNS-Q) items. Between the first and second cognitive debriefing interviews, researchers revised the EARNS-Q for retesting. Face and content validity tests indicated that the items, responses, and instructions were understood by study participants. The EARNS-Q is comprised of two modules that measure patient experience with nasal sprays (experience module), and patient preference for a nasal spray relative to another (preference module).

Conclusion: The EARNS-Q accurately measured patient experience with and preference for nasal sprays used in treating allergic rhinitis. A potential application of this questionnaire may be as a patient-reported outcomes endpoint in clinical trials of intranasal corticosteroids in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Keywords: EARNS-Q; allergic rhinitis; experience; intranasal corticosteroid; patient preference; questionnaire development.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Operationalization of preference elicitation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Allergic Rhinitis Nasal Spray Questionnaire: qualitative and quantitative research phases. Abbreviations: EARNS-Q, Experience with Allergic Rhinitis Nasal Spray Questionnaire; SES, socioeconomic status.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Conceptual framework for the Experience with Allergic Rhinitis Nasal Spray Questionnaire (illustrated with items from experience module).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Mygind N, Dahl R. Epidemiology of allergic rhinitis. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 1996;7:57–62. - PubMed
    1. Sibbald B, Rink E. Epidemiology of seasonal and perennial rhinitis: Clinical presentation and medical history. Thorax. 1991;46:895–901. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sibbald B. Epidemiology of allergic rhinitis. Monogr Allergy. 1993;31:61–79. - PubMed
    1. Wuthrich B, Schindler C, Leuenberger P, Ackermann-Liebrich U. Prevalence of atopy and pollinosis in the adult population of Switzerland (SAPALDIA study). Swiss Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 1995;106:149–156. - PubMed
    1. Dykewicz MS, Fineman S, Skoner DP, et al. Diagnosis and management of rhinitis: Complete guidelines of the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters in Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1998;81:478–518. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources