ArticlePloS one2014
Management of upper respiratory tract infections by different medical practices, including homeopathy, and consumption of antibiotics in primary care: the EPI3 cohort study in France 2007-2008.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guideline
- ENHANCE: a global collaborative research programme investigating the role of homeopathy in antimicrobial stewardship.Frontiers in antibiotics · 2026Article
- A core outcome set for acute otitis media (COS-AOM) for primary and community care studies.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Homeopathic and Conventional Treatments for Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: Real-World Cohort Study on Recurrence and Antibiotic Prescriptions.Complementary medicine research · 2025Article
- Review
- Mechanistic Evidence ofPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Prevention of recurrent respiratory infections : Inter-society Consensus.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2021Article
- Article
- On the edges of medicine - a qualitative study on the function of complementary, alternative, and non-specific therapies in handling therapeutically indeterminate situations.BMC family practice · 2019Article
- Article
- Homeopathy Use in the United States and Implications for Public Health: A Review.Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy · 2018Review
- Influenza and influenza-like syndromes: the subjects' beliefs, the attitude to prevention and treatment, and the impact in Italian general population.Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine · 2018Article
- How French general practitioners manage and prevent recurrent respiratory tract infections in children: the SOURIRRE survey.International journal of general medicine · 2017Article
- Homeopathy Use by US Adults: Results of a National Survey.American journal of public health · 2016Article
- The Effectiveness and Safety of a Homeopathic Medicinal Product in Pediatric Upper Respiratory Tract Infections With Fever: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Global pediatric health · 2016Article
- Effectiveness, safety and tolerability of a complex homeopathic medicinal product in the prevention of recurrent acute upper respiratory tract infections in children: a multicenter, open, comparative, randomized, controlled clinical trial.Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine · 2016Article
- Does homeopathic medicine have a preventive effect on respiratory tract infections? A real life observational study.Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine · 2016Article
- Economic impact of homeopathic practice in general medicine in France.Health economics review · 2015Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 10 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPrescribing of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) varies substantially in primary care.
objectivesTo describe and compare antibiotic and antipyretic/anti-inflammatory drugs use, URTI symptoms' resolution and occurrence of potentially-associated infections in patients seeking care from general practitioners (GPs) who exclusively prescribe conventional medications (GP-CM), regularly prescribe homeopathy within a mixed practice (GP-Mx), or are certified homeopathic GPs (GP-Ho).
methodThe EPI3 survey was a nationwide population-based study of a representative sample of 825 GPs and their patients in France (2007-2008). GP recruitment was stratified by self-declared homeopathic prescribing preferences. Adults and children with confirmed URTI were asked to participate in a standardized telephone interview at inclusion, one-, three- and twelve-month follow up. Study outcomes included medication consumption, URTI symptoms' resolution and potentially-associated infections (sinusitis or otitis media/externa) as reported by patients. Analyses included calibration to account for non-respondents and groups were compared using multivate analyses adjusting for baseline differences with a propensity score.
results518 adults and children with URTI (79.3% rhinopharyngitis) were included (36.9% response rate comparable between groups). As opposed to GP-CM patients, patients in the GP-Ho group showed significantly lower consumption of antibiotics (Odds ratio (OR) = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.27-0.68) and antipyretic/anti-inflammatory drugs (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.38-0.76) with similar evolution in related symptoms (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.64-2.10). An excess of potentially-associated infections (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 0.90-3.20) was observed in the GP-Ho group (not statistically significant). No difference was found between GP-CM and GP-Mx patients.
conclusionPatients who chose to consult GPs certified in homeopathy used less antibiotics and antipyretic/anti-inflammatory drugs for URTI than those seen by GPs prescribing conventional medications. No difference was observed in patients consulting GPs within mixed-practice. A non-statistically significant excess was estimated through modelling for associated infections in the GP-Ho group and needs to be further studied.
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