Intramuscular Corticosteroids for Acute Upper Respiratory Infections Affects Healthcare Utilization

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (10) ◽  
pp. 988-995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean M Parsel ◽  
Alaa E Mohammed ◽  
Daniel Fort ◽  
Blair M Barton ◽  
Edward D McCoul
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Utilization ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infections ◽  
Regional Health Care ◽  
Repeat Visit ◽  
Upper Respiratory

Objective: To examine the use of intramuscular corticosteroid (IMCS) injections for treatment of acute upper respiratory infections (URI) and the influence on healthcare utilization. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used patient encounter data from a large multicenter regional health care system between 2013 and 2017. Adult patients diagnosed with acute URI (acute pharyngitis, acute sinusitis, acute otitis media, and URI not otherwise specified) during ambulatory encounters were included. Follow-up encounters for a diagnosis of acute URI within 60 days were identified and patient characteristics, encounter details, and procedure codes were retrieved. Frequency data was used to calculate IMCS injection administration prevalence, utilization trends, and associations with covariates. Follow-up data for return encounters within 60 days for the same diagnosis was examined. Results: Of the 153 848 initial encounters, 34 600 (22.5%) patients received IMCS injection for acute URI. Injection rates varied from 0.85% to 49.1% depending on specialty and practitioner type. Internal medicine, family medicine, urgent care, and otorhinolaryngology clinics most commonly administered IMCS. 3788 patients returned for a second encounter of which 751 (19.8%) received an injection. IMCS injection during the first encounter was associated with increased odds of repeat visit within 60 days (OR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.61–1.88). Conclusion: IMCS use in the treatment of acute URI is highly prevalent despite lack of evidence for impact and safety. Prevalence is variable across multiple medical and surgical specialties including otorhinolaryngology. Administration of IMCS injection may contribute to the likelihood of a subsequent healthcare visit for the same indication.

scholarly journals A 12-month follow-up of an influenza vaccination campaign based on voluntary adherence: report on upper-respiratory symptoms among volunteers and non-volunteers

2001 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 142-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Páris Ali Ramadan ◽  
Francisco Barreto de Araújo ◽  
Mario Ferreira Junior
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Influenza Like Illness ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infections ◽  
Medical Consultations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Upper Respiratory Symptoms

CONTEXT: Routine immunization of groups at high risk for influenza has been progressively implemented as a matter of Brazilian public health policy. Although the benefits of the vaccination for healthy young adults are still controversial, it has been offered yearly to hundreds of thousands of Brazilian workers, generally as part of wellness initiatives in the workplace. OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristics of subjects that accepted or refused to be vaccinated against influenza and to report on respiratory symptoms in both groups, one year after the campaign date. DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: Workers at a subsidiary of an international bank in São Paulo, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: 124 persons that did not accept and 145 that voluntarily accepted the vaccine completed 12 months of follow-up. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Data concerning gender, age, tobacco use, and any history of chronic respiratory illness such as asthma, bronchitis, rhinitis, and repetitive upper-respiratory infections, were recorded at the time of vaccination. After that, workers were asked monthly by questionnaire or telephone about respiratory symptoms, days of work lost and medical consultations. RESULTS: The results showed statistically significant differences regarding age (P = 0.004) with the vaccinated group (V) being younger than the non-vaccinated (NV) one, and with reference to previous repetitive upper-respiratory infections being higher among the V group (P < 0.0001). During the follow-up, the V group reported more occurrences of upper respiratory symptoms (P < 0.0001), due to both non-influenza (P < 0.0001) and influenza-like illness (P = 0.045). Differences were also found between V and NV groups concerning days off work and number of medical consultations due to upper-respiratory symptoms and non-influenza illness. Gender and history of repetitive upper-respiratory infections were the best predictors of influenza-like illness-related events. CONCLUSIONS: The making of previous reference to repetitive upper-respiratory infections was a major difference between those who accepted or rejected the vaccine. The vaccination itself was not sufficient to reduce the number of occurrences of respiratory symptoms and related absenteeism to levels similar to those found among non-vaccinated people.

SPECIAL ARTICLE

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1955 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-336
Author(s):  
Sidney S. Samuels
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Secretory Otitis Media ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infection ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infections ◽  
Sense Of Security ◽  
Upper Respiratory

THE DIAGNOSIS of non-suppurative, secretory otitis media has been made much more frequently in recent years than it was prior to 1950. This increase has been noticed in children many more times than in adults, as pointed out by Robison and Nicholas. The disease is much more commonly found because of increased vigilance some otologists believe, as does Suehs, since the entity was reviewed and clarified by the brilliant work of Hoople in that year. However, there are undoubtedly other factors contributing to the greater incidence of this entity, such as the increased use of antibiotics in upper respiratory infections, including otitis media; an increase in the number of so-called virus infections; the greater prevalence of allergic diathesis; increased air travel; and, as Lindsay states, the swing of time pendulum toward extreme conservatism in recommending removal of tonsils and adenoids, a tendency resulting partly from a sense of security afforded by antibiotic therapy. The condition has received more of the attention it merits lately from that group of practitioners who are first in contact with the patients, namely the pediatrician and general practitioner who attend the acutely ill child. For usually the actual onset of the illness is acute, an otitis media occurring during an acute upper respiratory infection or as an acute otitis media following such an illness. The former need not even reach the stage where it is definitely recognized, its progress being halted by the antibiotic treatment administered. The attention of the attending physiciain is focused upon the middle ear in the younger child, either by the presence of pain in the affected ear, or by the abnormal appearance of the tympanic membrane, or both.

scholarly journals 2568. Variability in Pediatric Antibiotic Prescribing for Upper Respiratory Illnesses by Provider Specialty

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S73-S74
Author(s):  
Holly M Frost ◽  
Huong McLean ◽  
Brian Chow
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Group A Streptococcus ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Respiratory Illnesses ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infection ◽  
Medical Diagnoses ◽  
Group A ◽  
Upper Respiratory

Abstract Background Antibiotic prescribing varies among providers, contributing to antibiotic resistance and adverse drug reactions. Objective. To evaluate variation in antibiotic prescribing between pediatric and nonpediatric providers for common upper respiratory illnesses. Methods Patient encounters for children aged &lt;18 years from a regional healthcare system were identified. Electronic medical records from 2011 to 2016 were extracted for diagnoses of upper respiratory infection (URI), pharyngitis, acute otitis media (AOM), and sinusitis. Encounters with competing medical diagnoses, recent hospitalization, and antibiotic prescriptions within 30 days were excluded. Adherence to antibiotic guidelines was assessed by provider training (pediatric, nonpediatric physicians, and advance practice providers [APP]). Additional factors assessed included clinic or urgent care setting, calendar year, and patient’s age, gender, insurance status, and number of sick visits in the prior year. Results Across 6 years, 141,361 visits were examined: 43,914 for URI, 43,701 for pharyngitis, 43,925 for AOM, and 9,821 for sinusitis. Pediatricians were more likely than APPs and nonpediatric providers to have guideline-concordant prescribing for pharyngitis (pediatricians 66.7 (54.5, 77.0)%, nonpediatricians 49.1 (36.3, 62.0)%, APPs 52.2(39.4, 64.7)%, P &lt; 0.0001) and sinusitis (pediatricians 70.8(53.8, 83.4)%, nonpediatricians 63.3(46.8, 77.2)%, APPs 62.1(45.1, 76.5)%, P = 0.48) and to withhold antibiotics for URI than APPs and nonpediatric providers (pediatricians 86.6(81.2, 90.6)%, nonpediatricians 80.8(73.0, 86.8)%, APPs 76.8(68.4, 83.5)%, P &lt; 0.0001). Pediatricians were less likely to prescribe antibiotics for pharyngitis without a positive Group A Streptococcus test than APPs and nonpediatric providers (pediatricians 15.1(10.4, 21.6)%, nonpediatricians 29.4(20.8, 39.6)%, APPs 27.2(19.3, 36.9)%, P &lt; 0.0001). First-line antibiotic prescribing for pharyngitis and AOM did not differ between provider specialties. A trend toward more guideline-concordant prescribing was seen for pharyngitis and sinusitis over the study period. Conclusion Pediatricians were more likely to adhere to guidelines for pediatric acute respiratory infections. Pediatric antibiotic stewardship efforts should also target non-pediatricians. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

A Critical Look at Oral Decongestants

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-552
Author(s):  
Richard P. Lampert ◽  
Donald S. Robinson ◽  
Lester F. Soyka
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Rational Basis ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infections ◽  
Rebound Phenomenon ◽  
The Common ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Serous Otitis Media

The use of decongestants for the common cold remains controversial. Topical decongestants appear effective in shrinking the nasal mucosa and relieving symptoms, but the rebound phenomenon and other undesirable side effects, especially with imidazolines, preclude their more common use in children.12 No clearcut evidence exists for the efficacy of oral decongestants and their use in this regard may be more in the nature of a placebo. Based on Miller's study, decongestants may be helpful in maintaining eustachian tube patency in children with chronic serous otitis media, whereas Rubenstein et al.11 found them to be of no help in acute otitis media. Lacking convincing evidence, one cannot presently recommend on a rational basis the routine use of decongestants in upper respiratory infections.

scholarly journals Association of Receipt of Antibiotics with Patient Satisfaction for Caregivers of Children Presenting to Urgent-Care Settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s134-s135
Author(s):  
Diane Liu ◽  
NORA FINO ◽  
Benjamin Haaland ◽  
Adam Hersh ◽  
Emily Thorell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Otitis Media ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Otitis Media With Effusion ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Skewed Distribution ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Provider Type ◽  
Patient Dissatisfaction

Background: The Press Ganey (PG) Medical Practice Survey is a commonly used questionnaire for measuring patient experience in healthcare. Our objective was to evaluate the PG surveys completed by caregivers of children presenting for urgent care evaluation of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) to determine any correlation with receipt of antibiotics during their visit. Methods: We evaluated responses to the PG urgent-care surveys for encounters of children <18 years presenting with ARIs (ie, sinusitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, upper respiratory infection, acute otitis media, or serous otitis media with effusion) within 9 University of Utah urgent-care centers. Scores could range from 0 to 100. Because the distributions of scores followed right- skewed distribution with a high ceiling effect, we defined scores as dissatisfied with their care (≤25th percentile) and satisfied with their care (scores >25th percentile). Univariate and multivariable generalized mixed-effects logistic regression was used to assess correlates of patient dissatisfaction. Random intercepts were included for each provider to account for correlation within the same provider. Separate models were used for each PG component score. Multivariable models adjusted for receipt of antibiotics, age, gender, race, ethnicity, and provider type. Results: Overall, 388 of 520 responses (74.6%) indicated satisfaction and 132 responses (25.4%) indicated dissatisfaction. Among patients who did not receive antibiotics, 87 of 284 responses (30.6%) indicated dissatisfaction versus 45 of 236 (19.1%) who did receive antibiotics. Among patients who were dissatisfied with their clinician, raw clinician PG scores were higher among patients who received antibiotics (mean, 64.5; standard deviation [SD], 16.9) versus those who did not receive antibiotics (mean, 54.7; SD, 24.4; P = .015) (Table 1). In a multivariable analysis, receipt of antibiotics was associated with a reduction in patient dissatisfaction overall (odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.36–0.85). Conclusions: Overall, most responses for patients seen for ARIs in pediatric urgent care were satisfied. However, a significantly higher proportion of responses for patients who did not receive antibiotics were dissatisfied than for those patients who received antibiotics. Antibiotic stewardship strategies to communicate appropriate prescribing while preserving patient satisfaction are needed in pediatric urgent-care settings.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

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