ObjectiveTo determine factors associated with social media usage for finding a doctor or seeking medical advice among otolaryngology patients.MethodsCross‐sectional study of 361 patients visiting our clinics. All participants were asked if they were aware social media may be used to find doctors and if they had ever done so, and also if they were aware social media could be used to get advice about a medical condition or its treatment and if they had ever done so. Demographic characteristics were examined for association with affirmative answers to these questions.ResultsFacebook was the most used social media platform with 50.7% using Facebook daily. Over 50% of participants were aware social media could be used to find a doctor or seek medical advice. Daily use of Facebook was associated with using social media for finding a doctor (OR = 2.57, 95%CI: 1.41–4.67, p = 0.002) and seeking medical advice (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.09–2.71, p = 0.020). Having Medicare was associated with using social media to find a doctor (OR = 2.20, 95%CI: 1.15–4.21, p = 0.017), whereas Medicaid was associated with using social media for medical advice (OR = 1.99, 95%CI: 1.08–3.67, p = 0.027).ConclusionA majority of otolaryngology patients may be aware of health care applications of social media, with Facebook being the dominant platform, and Medicare insurance identifying patients who may most use social media in this manner. There is also an indication that social determinants of health, as reflected by Medicaid insurance, may be associated with using social media to seek medical advice.Level of EvidenceNA Laryngoscope, 133:2116–2121, 2023
ObjectiveTo determine the impact of comorbid migraine on quality of life (QOL) in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).MethodsA total of 213 adult patients with CRS were recruited. All participants completed the 22‐item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT‐22), from which total and validated nasal, ear/facial pain, sleep, and emotional subdomain scores were calculated, and the 5‐dimension EuroQol general health questionnaire (EQ‐5D), from which the visual analogue scale (VAS) and health utility value (HUV) were calculated. The presence of comorbid migraine was determined by a score of ≥4 on the 5‐item Migraine Screen Questionnaire (MS‐Q).ResultsOf the participants, 36.2% were screened positive for having comorbid migraine. The mean SNOT‐22 score was 64.9 (SD: 18.7) in participants with migraine and 41.5 (SD: 21.1) in participants without migraine (p < 0.001). The mean EQ‐5D VAS and HUV were 60.2 (SD: 21.9) and 0.69 (SD: 0.18), respectively, in participants with migraine and 71.4 (SD: 19.4) and 0.84 (SD: 0.13), respectively, in participants without migraine (p < 0.001 for both). Higher ear/facial pain (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.10–1.36, p < 0.001) and sleep (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.04–1.18, p = 0.002) SNOT‐22 subdomain scores were positively associated with migraine. The SNOT‐22 item scores related to dizziness, reduced concentration, and facial pain, in descending order, were most associated with migraine. The presence of nasal polyps (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.07 ‐ 0.80, p = 0.020) was negatively associated with migraine.ConclusionComorbid migraine may be relatively common amongst CRS patients, and its presence is associated with significantly worse QOL. Dizziness as a symptom in CRS patients may be particularly indicative of migraine.Level of evidence3 Laryngoscope, 2023
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