One hundred earaches - Family practice case series

OBJECTIVE To examine whether watchful waiting was an appropriate strategy f or patients with earache, when there was no clear indication to prescribe a ntibiotics at the first visit. DESIGN Case series of consecutive patients with unilateral earache. SETTING Rural family practice clinic and walk-in centre. PARTICIPANTS One hundred patients with unilateral earache. INTERVENTIONS Patients who clearly needed antibiotic treatment were given i t; others were advised about symptom relief and were followed up as necessa ry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Whether patients returned to the clinic, and whether antibiotics were subsequently prescribed. RESULTS Two patients were prescribed antibiotics at the first visit. Of the remaining 98 People, only four returned to the clinic because of earache, and two of these were prescribed antibiotics. Thus, of 100 people with eara che, four received antibiotic prescriptions. CONCLUSIONS Most people who present to primary care physicians with earache do not need antibiotics for what appears to be a mostly self-limiting cond ition. Both physicians and patients should be educated about this.