General practitioners’ responses according to guidelines on respiratory tract infection scenarios*
| Time pressure, no | Time pressure, yes | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questions about present illness | |||
| Nasal congestion | 20.59% | 8.82% | 0.092 |
| Fever | 55.88% | 51.47% | 0.679 |
| Cough | 57.35% | 38.24% | 0.070 |
| Breathlessness | 11.76% | 8.82% | 0.653 |
| Chest pain | 1.47% | 1.47% | 1.000 |
| Dizziness | 5.88% | 0.00% | 0.103 |
| Consciousness disorders | 13.24% | 1.47% | 0.026 |
| Intense/continuous vomiting | 13.24% | 7.35% | 0.341 |
| Flu symptoms initially improved and returned or are getting worse during the last 2 days | 7.35% | 1.47% | 0.325 |
| Elements of physical examination | |||
| Temperature measurement | 41.18% | 35.29% | 0.600 |
| Pharynx inspection | 89.71% | 85.29% | 0.517 |
| Neck lymph node palpation | 27.94% | 13.24% | 0.063 |
| Lung auscultation | 94.12% | 98.53% | 0.170 |
| Heart auscultation | 29.41% | 25.00% | 0.660 |
| Examination of nervous system | 82.35% | 41.18% | 0.000 |
| Diagnosis | |||
| Respiratory viral infection | 98.53% | 98.53% | 1.000 |
| Percentage ofconfidence on the diagnosis | 85.63% | 62.67% | 0.006 |
| Medication | |||
| Antipyretics/painkillers | 89.71% | 77.94% | 0.113 |
| Lifestyle treatment | |||
| Increase fluid intake | 64.71% | 47.06% | 0.115 |
| Rest/stay at home | 47.06% | 38.24% | 0.424 |
| Avoid smoking | 13.24% | 0.00% | 0.010 |
| Other advice | |||
| Prevent transmission | 2.94% | 5.88% | 0.523 |
| Re-examination, if symptoms persist or are getting worse | 52.94% | 52.94% | 1.000 |
| Continuous indicators | |||
| Number of questions on present illness (mean) | 1.79 | 1.19 | 0.019 |
| Number of signs in clinical examination (mean) | 5.69 | 4.48 | 0.028 |
| Number of advice on lifestyle treatment used (mean) | 0.93 | 0.61 | 0.050 |
| Number of other advice (mean) | 0.56 | 0.59 | 0.794 |
*Responses were averaged between the two scenarios of each condition.