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October 21, 1983, Vol 250, No. 15 >
ARTICLE | October 21, 1983

Reducing Physician Visits for Colds Through Consumer Education FREE

Carl R. Roberts, PhD; Peter B. Imrey, PhD; James D. Turner, MD; Michael C. Hosokawa, EdD; Joan M. Alster, MS
[+] Author Affiliations

Reprint requests to Southwestern Company, PO Box 820, Nashville, TN 37202 (Dr Roberts).


JAMA. 1983;250(15):1986-1989. doi:10.1001/jama.1983.03340150028021
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References

A randomized, controlled, blinded clinical trial was conducted to determine if self-care instructions, coupled with a health education program, could reduce unnecessary visits to physicians for minor respiratory illness. A symptom-based algorithm was developed for determining the necessity of a physician visit and provided, along with a brief educational package on proper care of the common cold, to a randomly selected group of 433 families attending a family practice clinic. Subsequent clinic visits by family members were monitored and evaluated in relation to the algorithm, and results were compared with those obtained from a control group of 444 families. The subsequent rate of visits for upper respiratory tract infections classified as unnecessary using the algorithm was 44% lower in the test as compared with the control group, while the rate of necessary visits was only 15% lower. No increase was seen in complications of upper respiratory tract infections.

(JAMA 1983;250:1986-1989)

REFERENCES

1 +
Waldo DR (ed): Health Care Financing Trends . US Dept of Health and Human Services, Division of National Cost Estimates, Health Care Financing Administration, Office of Research, Demonstrations, and Statistics, 1981;, vol 2, pp 1-6.
2 +
Mechanic D:  Approaches to controlling the costs of medical care: Short range and long range alternatives . N Engl J Med 1978;;298:249-254.
3 +
Black ER: Acute Condition Incidence and Associated Disability, US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare publication (PHS) 78-1553. Government Printing Office, 1977.
4 +
Berg AO, LoGerfo JP:  Potential impact of self-care algorithms on the number of physician visits . N Engl J Med 1979;;300:535-537.
5 +
Mechanic D:  Response factors in illness: The study of illness behavior , in Jaco EG (ed): Patients, Physicians and Illness . New York, The Free Press, 1972;, pp 128-140.
6 +
Graber AL, Christman BG, Alogna MT:  Evaluation of diabetes patient-education programs . Diabetes 1974;;26:61-64.
7 +
Haynes RB, Gibson ES, Hackett BC, et al:  Improvement of medication compliance in uncontrolled hypertension . Lancet 1976;;1:1265-1268.
8 +
Green LW:  Evaluation and measurement: Some dilemmas for health education . Am J Public Health 1977;;67:155-161.
9 +
Gunning R:  For easy reading . Lib J 1952;; 82:475-478.
10 +
Barr AJ, Goodnight JH, Sall JP, et al: SAS User's Guide . Raleigh, NC, Statistical Analysis Systems Institute Inc, 1979;.
11 +
Cohen J: Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences . New York, Academic Press Inc, 1979;, pp 191, 200 (6.3.1), 204 (6.4.1), and 205 (bottom).
12 +
Cochran WG: Sampling Techniques , ed 2. New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1963;, pp 29-31, 181, 160-2, and 162.
13 +
Mosteller F:  Nonsampling errors , in Kruskal WH, Tanur JM (eds): International Encyclopedia of Statistics . New York, The Free Press, 1978;, p 210.
14 +
Fleiss JL: Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportions . New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1973;, p 137.
15 +
Moore SH, LoGerfo JE, Inui TS:  Effect of a self-care book on physician visits: A randomized trial . JAMA 1980;;243:2317-2320.
16 +
Fries JR, Vickery DM:  Self-care algorithms . N Engl J Med 1979;;301:55.

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Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal

1 +
Waldo DR (ed): Health Care Financing Trends . US Dept of Health and Human Services, Division of National Cost Estimates, Health Care Financing Administration, Office of Research, Demonstrations, and Statistics, 1981;, vol 2, pp 1-6.
2 +
Mechanic D:  Approaches to controlling the costs of medical care: Short range and long range alternatives . N Engl J Med 1978;;298:249-254.
3 +
Black ER: Acute Condition Incidence and Associated Disability, US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare publication (PHS) 78-1553. Government Printing Office, 1977.
4 +
Berg AO, LoGerfo JP:  Potential impact of self-care algorithms on the number of physician visits . N Engl J Med 1979;;300:535-537.
5 +
Mechanic D:  Response factors in illness: The study of illness behavior , in Jaco EG (ed): Patients, Physicians and Illness . New York, The Free Press, 1972;, pp 128-140.
6 +
Graber AL, Christman BG, Alogna MT:  Evaluation of diabetes patient-education programs . Diabetes 1974;;26:61-64.
7 +
Haynes RB, Gibson ES, Hackett BC, et al:  Improvement of medication compliance in uncontrolled hypertension . Lancet 1976;;1:1265-1268.
8 +
Green LW:  Evaluation and measurement: Some dilemmas for health education . Am J Public Health 1977;;67:155-161.
9 +
Gunning R:  For easy reading . Lib J 1952;; 82:475-478.
10 +
Barr AJ, Goodnight JH, Sall JP, et al: SAS User's Guide . Raleigh, NC, Statistical Analysis Systems Institute Inc, 1979;.
11 +
Cohen J: Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences . New York, Academic Press Inc, 1979;, pp 191, 200 (6.3.1), 204 (6.4.1), and 205 (bottom).
12 +
Cochran WG: Sampling Techniques , ed 2. New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1963;, pp 29-31, 181, 160-2, and 162.
13 +
Mosteller F:  Nonsampling errors , in Kruskal WH, Tanur JM (eds): International Encyclopedia of Statistics . New York, The Free Press, 1978;, p 210.
14 +
Fleiss JL: Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportions . New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1973;, p 137.
15 +
Moore SH, LoGerfo JE, Inui TS:  Effect of a self-care book on physician visits: A randomized trial . JAMA 1980;;243:2317-2320.
16 +
Fries JR, Vickery DM:  Self-care algorithms . N Engl J Med 1979;;301:55.

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