Evidence map›Paper›PMID 12217080›Full record

ArticleBMC family practice2002

Antibiotics for coughing in general practice: a questionnaire study to quantify and condense the reasons for prescribing.

Samuel Coenen, Barbara Michiels, Paul Van Royen, Jean-Claude Van der Auwera, Joke Denekens

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC family practice, 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Treatments for subacute cough in primary care: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised clinical trials.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018
    Pooled it
  2. Amoxicillin for acute lower respiratory tract infection in primary care: subgroup analysis of potential high-risk groups.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2014
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  17. The determinants of the antibiotic resistance process.Infection and drug resistance · 2009
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  18. Antibiotic availability and the prevalence of pediatric pneumonia during a physicians' strike.The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2007
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  19. Antibiotic prescribing for acute cough: the effect of perceived patient demand.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2006
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Samuel CoenenCentre for General Practice, University of Antwerp-UIA, Antwerp, Belgium. samuel.coenen@ua.ac.be
Barbara Michiels
Paul Van Royen
Jean-Claude Van der Auwera
Joke Denekens
University of Antwerp · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAntibiotics are being overprescribed in ambulant care, especially for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Gaining insight into the actual reasons for prescribing remains important for the design of effective strategies to optimise antibiotic prescribing. We aimed to determine items of importance for the antibiotic prescribing decision and to make them operational for an intervention trial.

methodsA postal questionnaire based upon focus group findings was sent to 316 Flemish general practitioners (GPs). On a verbal rating scale the GPs scored to what extent they consider the questionnaire items in decision making in case of suspected RTI in a coughing patient and how strongly the items support or counter antibiotic treatment. Factor analysis was used to condense the data. The relative importance of the yielded operational factors was assessed using Wilcoxon Matched Pairs test.

results59.5% completed the study. Response group characteristics (mean age: 42.8 years; 65.9% men) approximated that of all Flemish GPs. Participants considered all the items included in the questionnaire: always the operational factor 'lung auscultation', often 'whether or not there is something unusual happening' - both medical reasons - and to a lesser extent 'non-medical reasons' (P < 0.001). Non-medical as well as medical reasons support antibiotic treatment, but non-medical reasons to a lesser extent (P < 0.001).

conclusionThis study quantified, condensed and confirmed the findings of previous focus group research. Practice guidelines and interventions to optimise antibiotic prescribing have to take non-medical reasons into account.

Indexed as

Drug PrescriptionsFamily PracticePractice Patterns, Physicians'AdultAnti-Bacterial AgentsCoughFactor Analysis, StatisticalFemaleHumansMaleRespiratory Tract InfectionsSurveys and QuestionnairesAnti-Bacterial Agents

Identifiers

PMID12217080
PMCPMC126270
OpenAlexW1550808062

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.