Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28486675›Full record

ReviewFamily practice2017

Short-course versus long-course oral antibiotic treatment for infections treated in outpatient settings: a review of systematic reviews.

Elizabeth E Dawson-Hahn, Sharon Mickan, Igho Onakpoya, Nia Roberts, Matthew Kronman, Chris C Butler, Matthew J Thompson

Open access · bronzeAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Family practice, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

30 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Ethics of Antibiotic Course Duration: Shorter is Better.The American journal of bioethics : AJOB · 2026
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  7. Review
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  14. Decalogue for the selection of oral antibiotics for lower respiratory tract infections.Revista espanola de quimioterapia : publicacion oficial de la Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia · 2022
    Review
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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 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Elizabeth E Dawson-HahnDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Sharon MickanGold Coast Health and Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
Igho OnakpoyaNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Nia RobertsBodleian Health Care Libraries, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Matthew KronmanDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Chris C ButlerNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Matthew J ThompsonDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
University of Oxford · GBUniversity of Washington · USCardiff University · GBSeattle Children's Hospital · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: To summarize the evidence comparing the effectiveness of short and long courses of oral antibiotics for infections treated in outpatient settings. Methods: We identified systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials for children and adults with bacterial infections treated in outpatient settings from Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and The Database of Review of Effects. Data were extracted on the primary outcome of clinical resolution and secondary outcomes. Results: We identified 30 potential reviews, and included 9. There was no difference in the clinical cure for children treated with short or long course antibiotics for Group A streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis (OR 1.03, 95% CI:0.97, 1.11); community acquired pneumonia (RR 0.99, 95% CI:0.97, 1.01); acute otitis media [<2 years old OR: 1.09 (95% CI:0.76, 1.57); ≥2 years old OR: 0.85 (95% CI:0.60, 1.21)]; or urinary tract infection (RR 1.06, 95% CI:0.64, 1.76). There was no difference in the clinical cure for adults treated with short or long course antibiotics for acute bacterial sinusitis (RR 0.95, 95% CI:0.81, 1.21); uncomplicated cystitis in non-pregnant women (RR 1.10, 95% CI:0.96, 1.25), or elderly women (RR: 0.98, 95% CI:0.62, 1.54); acute pyelonephritis (RR 1.03, 95% CI:0.80, 1.32); or community acquired pneumonia (RR: 0.96, 95% CI:0.74, 1.26). We found inadequate evidence about the effect on antibiotic resistance. Conclusions: This overview of systematic reviews has identified good quality evidence that short course antibiotics are as effective as longer courses for most common infections managed in ambulatory care. The impact on antibiotic resistance and associated treatment failure requires further study.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsBacterial InfectionsHumansOutpatientsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSystematic Reviews as TopicTime FactorsAnti-Bacterial AgentsAdultantibacterial agentsbacterial infectionsgeneral practicepediatricsreview

Identifiers

PMID28486675
PMCPMC6390420
OpenAlexW2613112823

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.