Evidence map›Paper›PMID 17369279›Full record

ArticleArchives of disease in childhood2007

Respiratory infections for which general practitioners consider prescribing an antibiotic: a prospective study.

Anthony Harnden, Rafael Perera, Angela B Brueggemann, Richard Mayon-White, Derrick W Crook, Anne Thomson, David Mant

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of disease in childhood, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
51citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 14% 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

51 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 104 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Clinical presentation and microbiological diagnosis in paediatric respiratory tract infection: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2015
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  14. Patterns of antibiotic use, knowledge, and perceptions among different population categories: A comprehensive study based in Arabic countries.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 2022
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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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Anthony HarndenDepartment of Primary Health Care, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. anthony.harnden@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
Rafael Perera
Angela B Brueggemann
Richard Mayon-White
Derrick W Crook
Anne Thomson
David Mant
University of Oxford · GBJohn Radcliffe Hospital · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council G0000340
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine the viral aetiology of respiratory infections in children presenting to primary care with "more than a simple cold".

designObservational study in 18 Oxfordshire general practices over four winters (2000-01 to 2003-04). PATIENTS: 425 children aged 6 months to 12 years with cough and fever for whom general practitioners considered prescribing an antibiotic.

methodsNasopharyngeal aspirate obtained from 408 (96%) children was subjected to PCR for respiratory viruses. Parents completed an illness diary for the duration of illness.

resultsA viral cause of infection was detected in most (77%) children. Clinical symptoms correctly identified the infecting virus in 45% of cases. The duration of illness was short and the time course was very similar for all infecting viruses. One third of children were prescribed an antibiotic (34%), but this made no difference to the rate of parent-assessed recovery (Kruskal-Wallis, p = 0.67). About one in five children with influenza who did not receive an antibiotic had persistent fever on day 7 compared to no children receiving antibiotics (p = 0.02); this difference remained after adjustment for severity and other factors and was not seen with other viruses.

conclusionsMost children receiving antibiotics for respiratory symptoms in general practice have an identifiable viral illness. In routine clinical practice, neither the specific infecting virus nor the use of antibiotics has a significant effect on the time course of illness. Antibiotics may reduce the duration of fever in children with influenza which could reflect an increased risk of secondary bacterial infection for such children.

Indexed as

Acute DiseaseAnti-Bacterial AgentsChildChild, PreschoolDrug PrescriptionsFamily PracticeFeverHumansInfantNasopharynxOpportunistic InfectionsPractice Patterns, Physicians'Prospective StudiesRespiratory Tract InfectionsSeverity of Illness IndexTime FactorsAnti-Bacterial Agents

Identifiers

PMID17369279
PMCPMC2083765
OpenAlexW2101970247

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.