Table 4.

 Outcome by day three children with otitis media in according to immediate or delayed treatment with antibiotics. Figures are numbers (percentage) of children

	Immediate	Delayed	P value	NNTB (95% CI)
Children with high temperature or vomiting*
Distress	21 (32)	27 (53)	0.045	5 (2 to 83)
Disturbed nights	10 (26)	30 (59)	0.002	3 (2 to 8)
Children without high temperature or vomiting*
Distress	14 (15)	19 (19)	0.39	22 (7 to ∞ to NNTH 17)
Disturbed nights	19 (20)	20 (27)	0.20	13 (5 to ∞ to NNTH 24)
Children with two of three symptoms† on day 1
Distress	11 (39)	22 (55)	0.20	6 (3 to ∞ to NNTH 12)
Disturbed nights	9 (32)	26 (65)	0.008	3 (2 to 10)

NNTB=number needed to treat to benefit; NNTH=number needed to treat to harm. 

^*Temperature as measured on day 1, vomiting on any day. 

^†High temperature, vomiting, cough.