Physician specialty is associated with differences in the evaluation and management of acute bacterial rhinosinusitis.

نویسندگان

  • John W Werning
  • Todd W Preston
  • Sadik Khuder
چکیده

BACKGROUND Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS) is a common illness that is routinely managed by physicians from several different specialties. However, the actual diagnostic and treatment preferences of physicians from these different specialties are not known. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the radiographic evaluation and management of community-acquired ABRS differs according to medical specialty. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Randomized survey of 450 board-certified physicians in the United States from family medicine, general internal medicine, and otolaryngology. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Responding physicians' use of diagnostic radiography as well as choice and duration of antimicrobial and adjunctive treatments of ABRS. RESULTS Otolaryngologists were more likely to use supportive diagnostic radiography (P =.04). They were also more likely to treat patients with adjunctive therapy, such as topical decongestants (P =.01), guaifenesin (P =.01), and saline nasal irrigation (P =.01), in addition to antibiotics. Otolaryngologists prescribed more medications to treat patients with ABRS than primary care physicians (P =.01). There were no significant differences in diagnosis and management by family physicians and general internists. CONCLUSIONS Otolaryngologists use more health care resources to diagnose and treat ABRS than primary care physicians despite an absence of evidence that such tests and treatments lead to better outcomes. Otolaryngologists typically treat a patient population with a higher prevalence of ABRS and frequently see referred patients with recurrent acute sinusitis and chronic rhinosinusitis, which may explain their tendency to treat patients more aggressively. Nevertheless, these survey results illustrate a lack of consensus within the medical community regarding the evaluation and management of community-acquired ABRS, suggesting that widely accepted evidence-based practice guidelines need to be developed.

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Acute rhinosinusitis in adults.

Rhinosinusitis is one of the most common conditions for which patients seek medical care. Subtypes of rhinosinusitis include acute, subacute, recurrent acute, and chronic. Acute rhinosinusitis is further specified as bacterial or viral. Most cases of acute rhinosinusitis are caused by viral infections associated with the common cold. Symptomatic treatment with analgesics, decongestants, and sal...

متن کامل

Normal Saline Versus Hypertonic 3% Saline: It’s Efficacy in Non-Acute Rhinosinusitis

Introduction: Sinusitis is one of the most common diseases in general and in otolaryngology practice, but the optimal therapeutic options have not yet been fully developed. This manuscript will try to compare normal saline nasal douching with hypertonic saline in reducing symptoms and improving its signs. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fourteen patients suffering from non acute rhin...

متن کامل

Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis in adults: part I. Evaluation.

Acute rhinosinusitis is one of the most common conditions that physicians treat in ambulatory practice. Although often caused by viruses, it sometimes is caused by bacteria, a condition that is called acute bacterial rhinosinusitis. The signs and symptoms of acute bacterial rhinosinusitis and prolonged viral upper respiratory infection are similar, which makes accurate clinical diagnosis diffic...

متن کامل

Evaluation of Bacterial Species to Determine Antimicrobial Resistance in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis after Surgery of Paranasal Sinuses Referring to Amiralmomenin Hospital in Rasht, 2018

Background and Aim: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has made treatment difficult. The purpose of this study was to investigate bacterial species in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis after surgery of paranasal sinuses to determine antimicrobial resistance patterns of them. Materials and Methods: The data of 70 patients after paranasal sinuses surgery in Amiralmomenin hospital in Rasht ci...

متن کامل

Intraorbital and Intracranial Complications of Acute Rhinosinusitis: A Rare Case Report

Introduction: Complications of acute sinusitis affecting multiple sites are very uncommon in the antibiotic era. However, a significant proportion of patients (5–40%) suffering from acute sinusitis can have these complications mostly due to the delayed diagnosis of the disease. Patients can have variable presentations according to the site and extent of the infection.   Case Report: A 21-ye...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery

دوره 128 2  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2002