. 2021 Nov 2;71(713):e895–e903. doi: 10.3399/BJGP.2021.0026

Table 3.

Associations with acute respiratory tract infections^a

Variable	Outcome class	Univariate		Adjusted

		OR (95% CI)	P-value	OR (95% CI)	P-value
Patient age group, years
0–<5	No antibiotic	1.19 (0.93 to 1.53)	0.1731	1.98 (1.39 to 2.83)	<0.001
0–<5	Immediate prescribing	0.78 (0.59 to 1.04)	0.0869	0.75 (0.51 to 1.10)	0.14
5–14	No antibiotic	0.87 (0.67 to 1.14)	0.3124	1.16 (0.82 to 1.66)	0.40
5–14	Immediate prescribing	0.81 (0.60 to 1.08)	0.1549	0.84 (0.57 to 1.22)	0.36
15–24	No antibiotic	1.25 (0.93 to 1.68)	0.1422	1.35 (0.93 to 1.97)	0.12
15–24	Immediate prescribing	1.17 (0.85 to 1.62)	0.3356	1.25 (0.84 to 1.86)	0.27
45–64	No antibiotic	0.78 (0.61 to 1.01)	0.0575	0.69 (0.50 to 0.95)	0.023
45–64	Immediate prescribing	0.85 (0.64 to 1.12)	0.2515	0.81 (0.57 to 1.15)	0.23
≥65	No antibiotic	0.90 (0.63 to 1.28)	0.5656	0.75 (0.49 to 1.17)	0.21
≥65	Immediate prescribing	1.62 (1.12 to 2.34)	0.0110	1.37 (0.86 to 2.17)	0.19

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander	No antibiotic	2.81 (1.01 to 7.80)	0.0472	1.73 (0.58 to 5.14)	0.32
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander	Immediate prescribing	3.11 (1.09 to 8.88)	0.0345	2.58 (0.86 to 7.69)	0.090

Practice routinely bulk bills	No antibiotic	1.54 (1.25 to 1.89)	<0.0001	1.34 (1.03 to 1.74)	0.030
Practice routinely bulk bills	Immediate prescribing	1.17 (0.94 to 1.46)	0.1534	1.25 (0.95 to 1.64)	0.12

Sought help any source	No antibiotic	0.20 (0.16 to 0.26)	<0.0001	0.41 (0.29 to 0.59)	<0.001
Sought help any source	Immediate prescribing	2.13 (1.68 to 2.69)	<0.0001	2.05 (1.48 to 2.84)	<0.001

Pathology ordered	No antibiotic	0.71 (0.51 to 1.00)	0.0488	0.71 (0.46 to 1.09)	0.12
Pathology ordered	Immediate prescribing	1.46 (1.03 to 2.08)	0.0341	1.02 (0.65 to 1.59)	0.93

Imaging ordered	No antibiotic	2.04 (0.63 to 6.63)	0.2380	6.26 (1.42 to 27.7)	0.016
Imaging ordered	Immediate prescribing	7.63 (2.37 to 24.6)	0.0007	3.90 (0.90 to 16.9)	0.068

Follow-up ordered	No antibiotic	0.71 (0.59 to 0.86)	0.0003	0.88 (0.68 to 1.13)	0.32
Follow-up ordered	Immediate prescribing	1.76 (1.44 to 2.15)	<0.0001	1.31 (1.01 to 1.70)	0.044

Learning goals generated	No antibiotic	0.52 (0.35 to 0.77)	0.0010	1.35 (0.79 to 2.29)	0.27
Learning goals generated	Immediate prescribing	2.39 (1.64 to 3.50)	<0.0001	1.36 (0.83 to 2.23)	0.23

Respiratory disease
Acute otitis media	No antibiotic	0.06 (0.04 to 0.08)	<0.0001	0.05 (0.04 to 0.07)	<0.001
Acute otitis media	Immediate prescribing	3.29 (2.45 to 4.42)	<0.0001	3.04 (2.09 to 4.43)	<0.001
Strep/tonsillitis/pharyngitis	No antibiotic	0.16 (0.13 to 0.21)	<0.0001	0.18 (0.13 to 0.24)	<0.001
Strep/tonsillitis/pharyngitis	Immediate prescribing	4.85 (3.65 to 6.44)	<0.0001	4.31 (3.04 to 6.11)	<0.001
Acute sinusitis	No antibiotic	0.12 (0.09 to 0.16)	<0.0001	0.17 (0.12 to 0.25)	<0.001
Acute sinusitis	Immediate prescribing	4.05 (2.94 to 5.59)	<0.0001	3.68 (2.48 to 5.48)	<0.001
Acute bronchitis	No antibiotic	0.15 (0.11 to 0.20)	<0.0001	0.16 (0.11 to 0.24)	<0.001
Acute bronchitis	Immediate prescribing	6.97 (5.06 to 9.59)	<0.0001	5.93 (4.00 to 8.80)	<0.001

Registrar age, years	No antibiotic	1.02 (1.00 to 1.05)	0.0442	1.05 (1.02 to 1.08)	0.002
Registrar age, years	Immediate prescribing	1.04 (1.01 to 1.06)	0.0012	1.03 (1.00 to 1.06)	0.026

Consultation duration, minutes	No antibiotic	0.99 (0.98 to 1.00)	0.0905	0.98 (0.96 to 1.00)	0.019
Consultation duration, minutes	Immediate prescribing	1.02 (1.00 to 1.03)	0.0294	0.99 (0.97 to 1.01)	0.19

Number of problems/diagnoses	No antibiotic	1.45 (1.28 to 1.65)	<0.0001	1.87 (1.55 to 2.25)	<0.001
Number of problems/diagnoses	Immediate prescribing	1.21 (1.05 to 1.39)	0.0088	1.32 (1.08 to 1.60)	0.006

The variables patient sex, non-English-speaking background, qualified as doctor in Australia, and rurality were not statistically significantly associated with the outcome and their removal did not alter other coefficients in the model; as such, these covariates were excluded from the multivariable model.