Using nasal sprays to prevent respiratory tract infections:: a qualitative study of online consumer reviews and primary care patient interviews
Using nasal sprays to prevent respiratory tract infections:: a qualitative study of online consumer reviews and primary care patient interviews
Objectives: Nasal sprays could be a promising approach to preventing Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs). This study explored lay people’s perceptions and experiences of using nasal sprays to prevent RTIs to identify barriers and facilitators to their adoption and continued use.
Design: Qualitative research. Study 1 thematically analysed online consumer reviews of a RTI prevention nasal spray. Study 2 interviewed patients about their reactions to and experiences of a digital intervention that promotes and supports nasal spray use for RTI prevention (reactively: at ‘first signs’ of infection and preventatively: following possible/probable exposure to infection). Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.
Setting: Primary Care, UK.
Participants: 407 online customer reviews. 13 purposively recruited primary care patients who had experienced recurrent infections and/or had risk factors for severe infections.
Results: Both studies identified various factors that might influence nasal spray use including: high motivation to avoid RTIs, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic; fatalistic views about RTIs; beliefs about alternative prevention methods; the importance of personal recommendation; perceived complexity and familiarity of nasal sprays; personal experiences of spray success or failure; tolerable and off-putting side effects; concerns about medicines; and the nose as unpleasant and unhygienic.
Conclusions: People who suffer disruptive, frequent or severe RTIs or who are vulnerable to RTIs are interested in using a nasal spray for prevention. They also have doubts and concerns and may encounter problems. Some of these may be reduced or eliminated by providing nasal sprays users with information and advice that addresses these concerns or helps people overcome difficulties.
Covid-19, PRIMARY CARE, Public health, Qualitative research, preventive medicine, respiratory infections
Williamson, Sian
b6977ce7-16bf-4dde-92f4-18abe85ad093
Dennison, Laura
15c399cb-9a81-4948-8906-21944c033c20
Greenwell, Kate
4bac64bd-059f-4d7d-90d3-5c0bccb7ffb2
Denison-Day, James
49c0d012-eadc-44eb-b06c-da7714be145a
Mowbray, Fiona
0a9e37a7-06c7-4926-95cb-af2d1eb22157
Richards-Hall, Samantha
dec677d7-b6a7-4e99-b10e-c1e22b3055cf
Smith, Debs
584fc47a-7e58-4262-9e0e-de42ce31f4bd
Bradbury, Katherine
87fce0b9-d9c5-42b4-b041-bffeb4430863
Ainsworth, Benjamin
b02d78c3-aa8b-462d-a534-31f1bf164f81
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Geraghty, Adam
2c6549fe-9868-4806-b65a-21881c1930af
Yardley, Lucy
64be42c4-511d-484d-abaa-f8813452a22e
Williamson, Sian
b6977ce7-16bf-4dde-92f4-18abe85ad093
Dennison, Laura
15c399cb-9a81-4948-8906-21944c033c20
Greenwell, Kate
4bac64bd-059f-4d7d-90d3-5c0bccb7ffb2
Denison-Day, James
49c0d012-eadc-44eb-b06c-da7714be145a
Mowbray, Fiona
0a9e37a7-06c7-4926-95cb-af2d1eb22157
Richards-Hall, Samantha
dec677d7-b6a7-4e99-b10e-c1e22b3055cf
Smith, Debs
584fc47a-7e58-4262-9e0e-de42ce31f4bd
Bradbury, Katherine
87fce0b9-d9c5-42b4-b041-bffeb4430863
Ainsworth, Benjamin
b02d78c3-aa8b-462d-a534-31f1bf164f81
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Geraghty, Adam
2c6549fe-9868-4806-b65a-21881c1930af
Yardley, Lucy
64be42c4-511d-484d-abaa-f8813452a22e
Williamson, Sian, Dennison, Laura, Greenwell, Kate, Denison-Day, James, Mowbray, Fiona, Richards-Hall, Samantha, Smith, Debs, Bradbury, Katherine, Ainsworth, Benjamin, Little, Paul, Geraghty, Adam and Yardley, Lucy
(2022)
Using nasal sprays to prevent respiratory tract infections:: a qualitative study of online consumer reviews and primary care patient interviews.
BMJ Open, 12 (6), [e059661].
(doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059661).
Abstract
Objectives: Nasal sprays could be a promising approach to preventing Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs). This study explored lay people’s perceptions and experiences of using nasal sprays to prevent RTIs to identify barriers and facilitators to their adoption and continued use.
Design: Qualitative research. Study 1 thematically analysed online consumer reviews of a RTI prevention nasal spray. Study 2 interviewed patients about their reactions to and experiences of a digital intervention that promotes and supports nasal spray use for RTI prevention (reactively: at ‘first signs’ of infection and preventatively: following possible/probable exposure to infection). Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.
Setting: Primary Care, UK.
Participants: 407 online customer reviews. 13 purposively recruited primary care patients who had experienced recurrent infections and/or had risk factors for severe infections.
Results: Both studies identified various factors that might influence nasal spray use including: high motivation to avoid RTIs, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic; fatalistic views about RTIs; beliefs about alternative prevention methods; the importance of personal recommendation; perceived complexity and familiarity of nasal sprays; personal experiences of spray success or failure; tolerable and off-putting side effects; concerns about medicines; and the nose as unpleasant and unhygienic.
Conclusions: People who suffer disruptive, frequent or severe RTIs or who are vulnerable to RTIs are interested in using a nasal spray for prevention. They also have doubts and concerns and may encounter problems. Some of these may be reduced or eliminated by providing nasal sprays users with information and advice that addresses these concerns or helps people overcome difficulties.
Text
e059661.full
- Version of Record
Text
Clean Version - Accepted Manuscript/Pre-Print
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 9 June 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 June 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This study/project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR) programme. This study was nested within an NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research: REducing Common infections in Usual practice for Recurrent Respiratory tract Infections (RECUR) (PL, AWAG) (RP-PG-0218-20005). LY is an NIHR senior investigator and her research programme is partly supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC)-West, the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) for Behavioural Science and Evaluation and the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The research programmes of LY and JD-D are partly supported by the NIHR BRC. The intervention development methods used for the RECUR/‘Immune Defence’ intervention were developed with support from the NIHR BRC.
Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Keywords:
Covid-19, PRIMARY CARE, Public health, Qualitative research, preventive medicine, respiratory infections
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 467992
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/467992
ISSN: 2044-6055
PURE UUID: c5c88545-57c6-4798-9c3d-a19287cc5d00
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 27 Jul 2022 16:56
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:57
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Samantha Richards-Hall
Author:
Debs Smith
Author:
Benjamin Ainsworth
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics