Table 2. Effectiveness of interventions to change parent consulting rate for respiratory tract infections in children.
| Study | Age | Outcome | Intervention | Control | OR | NNT | Mean | Significance | Risk |
| [95% | difference | of | |||||||
| CI] | bias | ||||||||
| Francis* | 6 mo- | % reconsulting by | 33/256 | 44/272 | 0.77 | 30 | - | 0.34 | Min. |
| 4 yr | 2 wk follow-up | (12.9%) | (16.2%) | [0.46– | |||||
| 1.28] | |||||||||
| Isaacman*** | <3 yr | % reconsulting to | Verbal: 1/41 | 8/78 | 0.22 | 13 | - | 0.16¶ (vs. | Likely |
| PED by 3 day | (2.2%) | (10.1%) | [0.01– | C) | |||||
| follow-up | 1.84] | ||||||||
| Written + | 0.37 | 16 | - | 0.31¶ (vs. | |||||
| verbal: 2/49 | [0.05– | C) | |||||||
| (3.8%) | 2.02] | ||||||||
| Morrell, | Mean | Likely | |||||||
| Anderson § | consultations/ | ||||||||
| patient/yr**** | |||||||||
| 0–4 yr | Sore throat | 0.16 | 0.27 | - | - | 0.11 | NR | ||
| Cough | 1.08 | 1.20 | - | - | 0.12 | NR | |||
| Runny/stuffy nose | 0.10 | 0.10 | - | - | 0 | NR | |||
| 5–14 yr | Sore throat | 0.19 | 0.23 | - | - | 0.04 | NR | ||
| Cough | 0.31 | 0.40 | - | - | 0.09 | NR | |||
| Runny/stuffy nose | 0.06 | 0.02 | - | - | −0.04 | NR | |||
| Roberts § | ≤18 yr | Consultations/ | 0.185 | 0.303 | - | - | 0.118 | NR | Likely |
| person/yr | |||||||||
| (pre vs. post) | |||||||||
| Unnecessary | 0.064 | 0.141 | - | - | 0.077 | NR | |||
| consultations/ | |||||||||
| person/yr | |||||||||
| Thomson | <6 mo | Infants receiving | 242/467 | 236/468 | 1.06 | 72 | - | 0.72 | Min. |
| RTI diagnoses | (51.8%) | (50.4%) | [0.81– | ||||||
| 1.38] | |||||||||
| Infants receiving | 161/467 | 126/468 | 1.43 | 13 | - | 0.02 | |||
| oral antibiotics | (34.5%) | (26.9%) | [1.07– | ||||||
| 1.91] | |||||||||
| Usherwood | 2–12 yr | Consultations/ | Likely | ||||||
| household | |||||||||
| Sore throat | 32/210 | 65/209 | 0.26 | 6 | - | <0.001 | |||
| (15.2%) | (31.1%) | [0.16– | |||||||
| 0.42] | |||||||||
| Cough | 90/210 | 116/209 | 0.60 | 8 | - | 0.01 | |||
| (43%) | (56%) | [0.40– | |||||||
| 0.90] |
*cluster randomised controlled trial;
***non-randomised controlled trial;
****adjusted for children at risk for part of study year;
¶
using Fisher's Exact Test;
§
no absolute numbers given; mo: month; Min: minimum; NNT: number needed to treat; NR: not reported; OR: odds ratio; PED: paediatric emergency department; RTI: respiratory tract infection; wk: weeks; yr: years. Italicized p-values were those reported in original study.