Is it a cold or is it a sinus infection? There ought to be an app for that…..

The Canadian Rhinosinusitis Best Practices and Standards Working Group  Releases A New App To Assist Physicians In The Diagnosis And Treatment of Some Common …. And Not So Common … Conditions This Flu Season.

TORONTO, Oct. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Rhinosinusitis Best Practices and Standards Working Group (RWG) understands the difficulty physicians face in managing some common and not so common nose and sinus conditions. Cough and cold season is upon us and patients will be once again heading to their doctors, pharmacies and hospital emergency rooms with cold and flu symptoms. However, ensuring appropriate care and avoiding inappropriate antibiotic use by distinguishing patients with acute bacterial infection of the sinuses from those with the common cold can be difficult under the best of circumstances.

In order to help physicians better distinguish between common colds and sinusitis and manage these in an appropriate manner, the Canadian Rhinosinusitis Best Practices and Standards Working Group (RWG) have produced a free application ("app") available from the iTunes App Store entitled "Sinusitis Toolbox" http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sinusitis-toolbox/id540390057?mt=8.  This free app takes advantages of the interactivity of the iPhone and tablet computers to illustrate management of colds and acute rhinosinusitis.

"This app promotes the recommendations of the Canadian Guidelines for the management of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis. We took advantage of the iPad's interactive technology to produce a unique learning tool for physicians. The touch screen allowed us to create interactive learning tools that are quick and easy to use in almost any clinical setting. In addition to making diagnosis and treatment algorithms easily accessible to clinicians, educational videos demonstrating the nasal examination and various frequently encountered pathologies are integrated within the app and instantly viewed from any location. A self-assessment tool is also incorporated in order to validate the understanding of the user," states Dr. Marc Tewfik, director of the development and Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

"We anticipate that this application will allow a more uniform treatment of rhinosinusitis in Canada. In addition, we hope the educational tools allow clinicians to improve their nasal examination skills, formulate more accurate diagnoses and select more appropriate treatment plans. It would also reduce the use of inappropriate antibiotics. In this way, the risk of complications will be reduced at the individual level, but perhaps more importantly, the spread of antibiotic resistance will be prevented at the population level." Dr. Martin Desrosiers, 
Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology - 
Head and Neck Surgery, 
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS) is one of the most frequently encountered conditions in family medicine and it is a major driver of antibiotic consumption.  ABRS accounts for an estimated 25% of all oral antibiotic therapy administered to adults. Identifying and disseminating appropriate management strategies is important not only for alleviating patient suffering, but also for reducing the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.  Chronic rhinosinusitis is a frequent persistent disorder of the upper respiratory tract that can be responsible for prolonged disability and suffering in affected patients, even leading to surgery in patients resistant to medical therapy.

The app was developed using the evidence-based Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute and Chronic Rhinosinusitis.  Adoption and implementation of the guidelines are also currently being monitored using various strategies to determine their impact on diagnosis, treatment, management and prescribing patterns. Information collected will help guide future policy decisions in this area and help improve subsequent versions of the sinus guidelines.

About the Canadian Rhinosinusitis Best Practices and Standards Working Group
The Canadian Rhinosinusitis Best Practices and Standards Working Group (RWG) has been created to be the single, Canadian authoritative voice on all aspects of rhinosinusitis including but not limited to its diagnosis, treatment and management.  Composed of experts representing the diversity of caregivers involved in the management of patients with sinusitis, the RWG recognizes and responds to the needs of patients, healthcare professionals, governments, and society.

Rhinosinusitis is a poorly understood disease, which has a significant social and economic impact on the individual and society. The RWG is working to increase the awareness of rhinosinusitis, both by the general public and governmental bodies, in order to ensure that appropriate attention is given to this important disease.

Current activities of the RWG include educational initiatives on optimal practices for the management of acute and chronic rhinosinusitis, and the development of relevant pharmacoeconomic data to better understand the health burden of chronic rhinosinusitis in Canada. Current priorities include relieving the suffering of patients with sinusitis, exploring therapeutic practices for rhinosinusitis that reduce the risk of the development of antibiotic resistance, and developing strategies for cost-effective rhinosinusitis healthcare delivery. By meeting these objectives, we will be able to attain our goal of ensuring timely access to proper care for the millions of Canadians affected by this disease.

The Canadian Rhinosinusitis Best Practices and Standards Working Group (comprises the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada; Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians; Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; Canadian Society of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; and The Family Physicians Airway Group of Canada).

SOURCE: The Canadian Rhinosinusitis Best Practices and Standards Working Group (RWG)

Helen Buckie Lloyd
Red Roof Communications (Canada)
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[email protected]