Development of the Sinus Headache Screener to identify patients with non-rhinogenic facial pain compared with chronic rhinosinusitis in rhinology clinics.

PURPOSE: To develop a patient-reported screening tool, the Sinus Headache Screener (SHS), to differentiate non-rhinogenic facial pain (NRFP) from chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) using qualitative research methods. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 English-speaking adults (15 NRFP, 11 CRS). Interviews included concept elicitation and cognitive interviewing techniques. Content analysis was used to analyze transcripts, and items were iteratively refined over three rounds of interviews. RESULTS: The final list of potential SHS items consisted of 89 items across 8 sections, including symptoms, episode characteristics, triggers, and treatments. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first step in developing a screening questionnaire to identify patients with NRFP in clinical settings. The item list provides a foundation for future quantitative studies to refine the questionnaire, potentially leading to more appropriate diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting with facial pain or pressure.

Duke Scholars

Author Theresa Marie Coles Population Health Sciences

Author Timothy Alan Collins Neurology, Headache and Pain

Author David W Jang Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery