Delayed or No Antibiotic Prescriptions for Patients with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections

Many patients expect to receive antibiotics for acute respiratory tract infections, and many clinicians prescribe them. In this trial, investigators in the U.K. assessed the effects of no or delayed antibiotic prescriptions on symptom control and antibiotic use in 900 primary care patients (age, ≥3 years) with acute respiratory tract infections. About one third of patients were prescribed antibiotics immediately, and the rest were randomized to one of four delayed-prescription strategies: 1) required to recontact clinicians' offices by phone to request prescriptions, 2) given post-dated prescriptions, 3) allowed to pick up prescriptions but asked to wait before requesting them, and 4) given prescriptions and asked to wait to use them (patie…