Managing conjunctivitis in general practice

Editor—The conclusions drawn by Everitt et al that delayed prescribing of antibiotics is probably the most appropriate strategy for managing acute conjunctivitis in primary care are really dependent on the health system.¹ For the outcome of interest to patients—duration of symptoms—immediate antibiotics were clearly superior to delayed or no antibiotics. Whether the outcome of interest to the general practitioner—reattendance of the patient—is superior or inferior depends on the system. In the UK system, reattendance is discouraged by general practitioners; in Australia, with a fee-for-service system, it is not.