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How patients' experiences of respiratory tract infections affect healthcare-seeking and antibiotic use: insights from a cross-sectional survey in rural Anhui, China.
- Source :
-
BMJ open [BMJ Open] 2018 Feb 03; Vol. 8 (2), pp. e019492. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Feb 03. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Objective: To investigate the occurrence of reported respiratory tract infection (RTI) symptoms and their effects on use of self and professional care among patients in the community.<br />Design: A cross-sectional retrospective household survey.<br />Setting: 12 administrative villages from rural Anhui, China.<br />Participants: 2160 rural adult residents aged ≥18 years registered as rural residents and actually living in the sampled villages when this study was conducted.<br />Method: The respondents were recruited using stratified-clustered randomised sampling. A structured questionnaire was deployed to solicit information about social demographics, symptoms of last RTI and healthcare-seeking following the RTI. Descriptive analyses were performed to investigate the reported symptoms, and multivariate logistic regression models were developed to identify relationships between number of concurrent symptoms and healthcare-seeking and antibiotics use.<br />Results: A total of 1968 residents completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 91.1%. The number of concurrent symptoms showed a clear increasing trend with seeking help from clinics and being prescribed antibiotics. Multivariate regression revealed statistically significant associations between the following: (a) visiting clinics and education (OR=0.790), sore throat (OR=1.355), cough (OR=1.492), shortness of breath (OR=1.707) and fever (OR=2.142); (b) buying medicine from shops without prescription and education (OR=1.230) and cough (OR=1.452); (c) getting antibiotics at clinics and sore throat (OR=2.05) and earache and/or tinnitus (OR=4.884); and (d) obtaining antibiotics at medicine shops and productive cough (OR=1.971).<br />Conclusions: Reported RTI symptoms play an important role in shaping both patient- and doctor-led responses.<br />Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.<br /> (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
China
Cough drug therapy
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Fever drug therapy
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Pharyngitis drug therapy
Retrospective Studies
Rural Population
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
Anti-Bacterial Agents therapeutic use
Patient Acceptance of Health Care statistics & numerical data
Respiratory Tract Infections drug therapy
Respiratory Tract Infections physiopathology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2044-6055
- Volume :
- 8
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- BMJ open
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 29431136
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019492