Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32948565›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2020

Association between guidelines and medical practitioners' perception of best management for patients attending with an apparently uncomplicated acute sore throat: a cross-sectional survey in five countries.

Ronny Gunnarsson, Mark H Ebell, Hannelore Wächtler, Naveen Manchal, Lynne Reid, Stefan Malmberg, Sean Hawkey, Alastair D Hay, Katarina Hedin, Pär-Daniel Sundvall

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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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

10 authors.

Ronny GunnarssonGeneral Practice / Family Medicine, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden ronny.gunnarsson@infovoice.se.ORCID 0000-0001-9183-3072
Mark H EbellDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3228-2877
Hannelore WächtlerFaculty of Medicine, Institute for General Practice, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
Naveen ManchalCairns Clinical School, James Cook University College of Medicine and Dentistry, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
Lynne ReidCairns Clinical School, James Cook University College of Medicine and Dentistry, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
Stefan MalmbergGeneral Practice / Family Medicine, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sean HawkeyCentre for Academic Primary Care, NIHR School for Primary Care Research, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol Medical School, Bristol, UK.
Alastair D HayCentre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Katarina HedinLinköpings universitet Institutionen för medicin och hälsa, Linkoping, Sweden.
Pär-Daniel SundvallGeneral Practice / Family Medicine, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the relationship between guidelines and the medical practitioners' perception of optimal care for patients attending with an apparently uncomplicated acute sore throat in five countries (Australia, Germany, Sweden, UK and USA).

designInternational cross-sectional survey.

settingPrimary healthcare (PHC).

participantsMedical practitioners working in PHC.

main outcome measuresORs for: (A) perception of throat swabs as important, (B) perception of blood tests (C reactive protein, B-ESR and B-leucocytes) as important and (C) antibiotic prescriptions if no pathogenic bacteria isolated on throat swab.

resultsGuidelines differed significantly; those recommending throat swabs (Sweden and USA) were associated with practitioners perceiving them as important. The UK guideline was the only one actively discouraging the use of throat swabs. Hence, compared with the USA (reference), a throat swab showing no pathogenic bacteria increased the probability of antibiotic prescribing in the UK with OR 3.2 (95% CI 1.7 to 6.1) for adults, whereas it reduced the probability in Sweden for adults OR 0.35 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.96) and children 0.19 (95% CI 0.069 to 0.50).

conclusionsThe differences between practitioners' perceptions of best management were associated with their guidelines. It remains unclear if guidelines influenced medical practitioners' perception or if guidelines merely reflect the consensus of current practice. A larger effort should be made to reach an international consensus in high-income countries about the best management of patients attending for an uncomplicated acute sore throat.

Indexed as

PharyngitisAdultAnti-Bacterial AgentsAustraliaChildCross-Sectional StudiesGermanyHumansPerceptionSwedenAnti-Bacterial Agentspaediatric infectious disease & immunisationprimary careprotocols & guidelines

Identifiers

PMID32948565
PMCPMC7500311

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.