Table 2.
Patient expectations for each symptom
| Symptom* | Patient expectation | ||||||
| Further examination |
Information | Reassure | Pain relief | Nose drops | Cough medicine |
Referral | |
| Earache (n=64, 14.7%) |
39 (60.9) | 34 (53.1) | 30 (46.9) | 43 (67.2) | 6 (9.4) | 23 (35.9) | 0 (0.0) |
| Sinuses (n=105, 24.1%) |
53 (50.5) | 56 (53.3) | 53 (50.5) | 47 (44.8) | 14 (13.3) | 63 (60.0) | 5 (4.8) |
| Common cold (n=114, 26.2%) |
64 (56.1) | 54 (47.4) | 62 (54.4) | 53 (46.5) | 10 (8.8) | 64 (56.1) | 5 (4.4) |
| Throat Ache (n=202, 46.4%) |
104 (51.5) | 99 (49.0) | 96 (47.5) | 115 (56.9) | 13 (6.4) | 101 (50.0) | 8 (4.0) |
| Cough (n=314, 72.2%) |
164 (52.2) | 159 (50.6) | 161 (51.3) | 109 (34.7) | 19 (6.1) | 195 (62.1) | 12 (3.8) |
| Other (n=169, 38.9%) |
104 (61.5) | 99 (58.6) | 119 (70.4) | 59 (34.9) | 9 (5.3) | 64 (37.9) | 8 (4.7) |
| Overall expectation† | 528 | 501 | 521 | 426 | 71 | 510 | 38 |
Counts (%) presented.
*Represents those who presented with symptom (yes response).
†As many patients presented with multiple symptoms, the count exceeds the number of patients surveyed.