Original ArticleCharacteristics of Patients With Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Presenting to a Walk-in Clinic
Section snippets
PATIENTS AND METHODS
In the spring of 1998, patients older than 18 years who reported to the UCC (a Mayo Clinic-based walk-in clinic in Rochester, Minn, for patients with minor acute illnesses) because of cough, sore throat, or sputum production were asked by the patient service representatives to complete a previsit multiple-choice format questionnaire. Patient service representatives were informed about the goals of the study, but no effort was made to standardize their interaction with patients. More than 80% of
RESULTS
Of the 210 patients seen at the UCC for presumed URI, 161 (77%) had been ill 5 or more days, 200 (95%) had cough, 177 (84%) had phlegm, 132 (63%) had sinus pain, and 79 (38%) had fever. We categorized these 210 patients into 2 groups: those who thought antibiotics were necessary for treatment of their illness (157 [75%]) and those who thought antibiotics were unnecessary (53 [25%]). We compared the demographics and symptoms of the 2 groups.
Irrespective of patients’ opinions on the need for
DISCUSSION
Of the initial 210 patients enrolled in our study, 130 completed the postvisit questionnaire, 129 (99%) of whom reported being satisfied with the office visit regardless of whether they received a prescription for antibiotics. Thus, factors other than obtaining antibiotic therapy (which possibly include physician reassurance about the illness) were patients’ primary concern. This finding is congruent with other studies,12, 13 particularly the study by Hamm et al14 that found that patients were
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