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(Pediatrics in Review. 2005;26:170-175.)
© 2005 American Academy of Pediatrics

Special Article

A Multicultural Approach to the Patient Who Has a Common Cold

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

	Introduction

 
Symptoms of the common cold are responsible for many health care visits, and medications to alleviate these symptoms are a significant contributor to the costs incurred. Yet, an upper respiratory tract infection (URI) is a self-limited process. Patient education about appropriate symptomatic therapies along with an understanding of appropriate criteria for seeking care could generate significant cost savings in both medications and physician visits as well as reduce the risks of adverse medication reactions.

	Pharmacologic Fiddling With the Common Cold

 
Medications for the common cold, although contributing significantly to health care costs, have not been shown to be efficacious and have demonstrated little to no benefit in children. However, even the most benign-appearing and widely used medications have been associated with significant adverse effects, including death.

Studies have documented that a patient’s perception of the efficacy of antibiotics as well as other medications to "cure" the common cold are the primary drivers of many visits to the practitioner. As many as 44% of individuals surveyed believe that antibiotics assist in eradicating colds, and 63% believe that over-the-counter (OTC) medications are efficacious in relieving cold symptoms. This can become a self-perpetuating spiral of unnecessary visits for unnecessary medications because patients who have been given antibiotics for symptoms of the common cold have been shown to believe in their efficacy and to expect their prescription.

Several studies also have demonstrated that many primary care practitioners prescribe antibiotics for cold symptoms with alarming frequency: Up to 40% of patients presenting to a primary care practitioner and receiving a diagnosis of a URI obtain an antibiotic prescription at the end of the visit. This tendency has not been co-opted by any physician specialty, ethnic group, income group, or geographic region; it is commonplace in both managed care and fee-for-service practices; and it is not unique to the United States.

Extrapolations . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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