Turkish Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis (ART).

OBJECT: To prepare a national guideline for Otorhinolaryngologist who treat allergic rhinitis patients. METHODS: The study was conducted by three authors, namely the writing support team. The support team made the study plan, determined the writing instructions, chose the subgroups including the advisory committee, the advisors for authors and the authors. A workshop was organized at the very beginning to explain the details of the study to the team. Advisors took the chance to meet their coworkers in their subgroups and determined the main headings and subheadings of the guideline, together with the authors. After key words were determined by the authors, literature search was done in various databases. The authors keep in touch with the advisors and the advisors with the advisory committee and the support group at every stage of the study. National and International published articles as well as the abstracts of unpublished studies, imperatively presented in National Congresses, were included in this guideline. Only Guideline and meta-analyses published in last seven years (2013-2017) and randomized controlled studies published in last two years (2015-2017) were included. After all work was completed by the subgroups, support team brought all work together and edited the article. RESULTS: A detailed guideline about all aspects of allergic rhinitis was created. CONCLUSION: The authors believe that this guideline will enable a compact and up-to-date information on allergic rhinitis to healthcare professionals. This guideline is the first in the field of Otolaryngology in Turkey. It should be updated at regular intervals.

The willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine and affecting factors among healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: While discussions on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines continue, healthcare professionals' attitudes and their growing fear and anxiety during the pandemic process are not yet fully known. In this study, we aimed to investigate the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and affecting factors in healthcare professionals. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional online survey conducted in 1574 healthcare professionals consisting of physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and healthcare personnel in Turkey in December 2020. Demographic, attitudinal, and Fear of COVID-19 Scale scores of healthcare professionals were investigated in this survey. RESULTS: About 84.6% of healthcare professionals declared willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine whenever possible. Most physicians (90.4%) stated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, while 66.5% of nurses, 73.9% of healthcare personnel, also preferred to have it as soon as the vaccine was available. Factors affecting the willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine were found to be advanced age, male gender, working in a primary health care center, living with family, having a child, having a chronic disease, having high Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FC-19S) scores. While the group with the highest vaccine rejection rate was nurses with 33.5%, FC-19S scores were significantly higher in nurses who wanted to be vaccinated. In multivariate regression analyses, factors related to the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine were identified as advanced age, routine adult vaccination, no history of COVID-19, and recommendation of the COVID-19 vaccine. CONCLUSION: A high proportion of healthcare professionals declared their willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine, and hence, this will play a leading role in optimizing the vaccination rate of the entire population while combating the pandemic.

Better knowledge and regular vaccination practices correlate well with higher seasonal influenza vaccine uptake in people at risk: Promising survey results from a university outpatient clinic.

BACKGROUND: The knowledge, beliefs, opinions, and attitudes of patients and their relatives regarding seasonal influenza vaccination were evaluated. METHODS: This descriptive study was undertaken in the outpatient clinics of Baskent University Hospital. There were 566 responders who completed a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 48.35 years, and 16.8% were ≥65 years. Of the responders, 21.7% were vaccinated this year, whereas 57.8% did not desire to get it. Vaccination rates were significantly higher among responders ≥65 years of age (56.4%), those having at least 1 chronic illness (46.5%), and those who were vaccinated regularly every year (22.2%). Half of the responders did not know that the vaccine was reimbursed for people at risk. The most common reason for refusing the influenza vaccine was not getting the flu frequently (51.2%). Fear of side effects, concerns about vaccine's effectiveness, and belief that vaccine causes the flu were other common reasons for not being vaccinated. Of the responders, 77% believed that getting official information or a recommendation from a physician would influence their decision about seasonal influenza vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: People who are at risk or vaccinated regularly display a higher vaccine uptake and better knowledge of influenza and vaccination. The opinions and attitudes of this study population may assist in developing strategies for changing attitudes of the public toward influenza vaccination.

Primary hydatid cyst of the neck.

Hydatid cyst in the head and neck is very rare even in countries where echinococcus infestation is endemic. We report the case of a 33-year-old female patient presenting with a hydatid cyst in the lateral cervical region. The diagnosis of hydatid cyst is made mainly with the help of imaging methods and review of the patient's history. Serologic tests can also be useful. The diagnostic use of fine-needle aspiration biopsy generally has not been advised because of the potential to precipitate acute anaphylaxis or to spread daughter cysts. Treatment is surgical. Postoperative albendazole therapy is suggested especially when there is preoperative contamination risk.