Outcomes Assessment in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Management

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a persistent inflammatory condition of the nasal and paranasal sinuses that significantly impairs quality of life and imposes a substantial global healthcare burden. Effective management demands rigorous assessment of treatment outcomes to guide clinical decisions, evaluate therapeutic efficacy and support comparative research. Outcome measures in CRS span objective metrics—such as endoscopic grading, imaging scores and biomarkers of inflammation—and subjective measures derived from patient-reported outcomes. The Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and visual analogue scales capture symptom severity and psychosocial impact, while composite disease control instruments define well-controlled, partly controlled and uncontrolled states. Despite the proliferation of tools, there is a lack of standardisation in the selection, timing and interpretation of these measures, hindering meta-analysis and the development of core outcome sets. Endoscopic sinus surgery, biologic therapies and novel medical regimens rely on harmonised endpoints to demonstrate benefit in both clinical practice and trials. Recent efforts have focused on validating instruments across cultures, refining psychometric properties and integrating objective and subjective domains to achieve a holistic appraisal of patient health.

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Outcomes Assessment in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in outcomes assessment in chronic rhinosinusitis management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS): A long-term inflammation of the nasal and paranasal sinus mucosa lasting more than 12 weeks.

Patient-reported outcome (PRO): A measurement based on reports directly from patients about their health status or treatment experience.

SINO-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22): A validated questionnaire assessing symptom severity and quality of life in CRS.

EPOS criteria: Standardised guidelines from the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis defining diagnostic and treatment end points, including disease control categories.

Sinus Control Test: A short instrument that categorises CRS control into controlled, partly controlled or uncontrolled states based on symptom frequency and impact.

Visual analogue scale (VAS): A psychometric tool in which patients rate symptom severity along a continuous line, typically 0–10 cm.

References

1. Management of Mechanical Nasal Obstruction Isolated or Associated to Upper Airway Inflammatory Diseases in Real Life: Use of both Subjective and Objective Criteria. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports (2023).
2. Current understanding of disease control and its application in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2023).
3. Visual analogue scale for sino‐nasal symptoms severity correlates with sino‐nasal outcome test 22: paving the way for a simple outcome tool of CRS burden. Clinical and Translational Allergy (2018).
4. Outcome Measures in Chronic Rhinosinusitis. Current Otorhinolaryngology Reports (2018).