Table 1.

 Predictors of poor outcome (earache lasting more than three days after seeing doctor) in children with acute otitis media. Figures are numbers (percentage) of children^*

	Earache	No earache	Crude odds ratio (95% CI)	Adjusted odds ratio† (95% CI)‡	P value‡
Symptoms and signs
High temperature	22 (23)	23 (12)	2.10 (1.10 to 4.01)	1.23 (0.57 to 2.59)	0.61
Vomiting	21 (22)	33 (18)	1.30 (0.70 to 2.39)	0.92 (0.45 to 1.85)	0.81
Cough	60 (62)	115 (61)	1.02 (0.62 to 1.70)	0.92 (0.52 to 1.63)	0.78
Ear discharge	35 (36)	38 (20)	2.23 (1.29 to 3.85)	2.55 (1.38 to 4.69)	0.003
Red drum	77 (80)	148 (80)	1.04 (0.56 to 1.93)	1.06 (0.53 to 2.16)	0.86
Bulging drum	48 (51)	85 (46)	1.23 (0.75 to 2.01)	1.27 (0.73 to 2.23)	0.39
Clinical features
Age ⩽3 years	31 (32)	82 (44)	0.60 (0.36 to 1.01)	0.57 (0.32 to 1.03)	0.062
Previous epiodes of respiratory tract infection:
0	21 (25)	26 (16)	1	1	0.63
1	23 (27)	29 (18)	0.98 (0.44 to 2.17)	1.02 (0.44 to 2.41)
2	14 (16)	38 (23)	0.46 (0.20 to 1.06)	0.60 (0.24 to 1.53)
⩾3	27 (32)	72 (44)	0.46 (0.22 to 0.96)	0.72 (0.26 to 2.00)
Prescription for antibiotics in previous year:
0	43 (51)	61 (37)	1	1	0.001
1	26 (31)	46 (28)	0.80 (0.43 to 1.49)	0.76 (0.40 to 1.45)	<0.001§
2	11 (13)	29 (18)	0.54 (0.24 to 1.19)	0.48 (0.21 to 1.11)
⩾3	5 (6)	29 (18)	0.24 (0.09 to 0.68)	0.15 (0.05 to 0.46)
Satisfaction and communication
Satisfied:
Extremely	29 (30)	65 (36)	1	1	0.04
Very	49 (52)	95 (52)	1.16 (0.66 to 2.02)	1.57 (0.83 to 2.96)	0.015§
Moderately	19 (20)	12 (12)	1.85 (0.88 to 3.92)	2.98 (1.25 to 7.13)
Worries dealt with:
Extremely well	31 (32)	66 (36)	1	1	0.75
Very well	52 (54)	100 (55)	1.11 (0.64 to 1.90)	0.74 (0.33 to 1.64)
Moderately	14 (14)	17 (9)	1.75 (0.77 to 4.00)	0.75 (0.18 to 3.05)

^*Denominators vary due to missing values. 

^†Adjusted for other significant predictors of outcome. 

^‡Based on likelihood ratio test. 

^§Trend, z test.