Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26797040›Full record

Observational studyNPJ primary care respiratory medicine2016

Help-seeking and antibiotic prescribing for acute cough in a Chinese primary care population: a prospective multicentre observational study.

Carmen Ka Man Wong, Zhaomin Liu, Chris C Butler, Samuel Yeung Shan Wong, Alice Fung, Dicken Chan, Benjamin Hon Kei Yip, Kenny Kung

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter StudyObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in NPJ primary care respiratory medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 13% 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

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

8 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.

Carmen Ka Man WongDivision of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Zhaomin LiuDivision of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Chris C ButlerNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Oxford University, New Radcliffe House, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, UK.
Samuel Yeung Shan WongDivision of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Alice FungDivision of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Dicken ChanDivision of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Benjamin Hon Kei YipDivision of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Kenny KungDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Chinese University of Hong Kong · CNUniversity of Hong Kong · HKUniversity of Wales Institute Cardiff · SG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Acute cough is a common reason to prescribe antibiotics in primary care. This study aimed to explore help-seeking and antibiotic prescribing for acute cough in Chinese primary care population. This is a prospective multicentre observational study that included adults presenting with acute cough. Clinicians recorded patients' presenting symptoms, examination findings and medication prescription. Patients completed symptom diaries for up to 28 days by charting their symptom severity and recovery. Adjusted binary logistic regression models identified factors independently associated with antibiotic prescription. Primary care clinicians (n=19) recruited 455 patients. A total of 321 patients (70.5%) returned their completed symptom diaries. Concern about illness severity (41.6%) and obtaining a prescription for symptomatic medications (45.9%), rather than obtaining a prescription for antibiotics, were the main reasons for consulting. Antibiotics were prescribed for 6.8% (n=31) of patients, of which amoxicillin was the most common antimicrobial prescribed (61.3%), as it was associated with clinicians' perception of benefit from antibiotic treatment (odds ratio (OR): 25.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.7-101.1), patients' expectation for antibiotics (OR: 5.1, 95% CI: 1.7-11.6), anticipation (OR: 5.1, 95% CI: 1.6-15.0) and request for antibiotics (OR 15.7, 95% CI: 5.0-49.4), as well as the severity of respiratory symptoms (cough, sputum, short of breath and wheeze OR: 2.7-3.7, all P<0.05). There was a significant difference in antibiotic prescription rates between private primary care clinicians and public primary care clinicians (17.4 vs 1.6%, P=0.00). Symptomatic medication was prescribed in 98.0% of patients. Mean recovery was 9 days for cough and 10 days for all symptoms, which was not significantly associated with antibiotic treatment. Although overall antibiotic-prescribing rates were low, there was a higher rate of antibiotic prescribing among private primary care clinicians, which warrants further exploration and scope for education and intervention.

Indexed as

Help-Seeking BehaviorPractice Patterns, Physicians'Primary Health CareAcute DiseaseAdultAmoxicillinAnti-Bacterial AgentsChinaCoughDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedOdds RatioAmoxicillinAnti-Bacterial Agents

Identifiers

PMID26797040
PMCPMC5533206
OpenAlexW2414314070

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.