Patient expectations of acute bronchitis not consistent with the best evidence

http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/patient-expectations-of-acute-bronchitis-not-consistent-with-the-best-/

January 14, 2013
Writer: April Reese Sorrow
Contact: Mark H. Ebell

Athens, Ga. — New research from the University of Georgia exposes a large discrepancy in the length of time patients expect an acute cough illness, also called acute bronchitis, to last and the reality of the illness. This mismatch may be a factor in the over-prescription of antibiotics.

Examining the gap in patient expectations and the actual length of time the body takes to rid itself of a chest cold, Dr. Mark Ebell, associate professor of epidemiology in the UGA College of Public Health, recently published an article in the Annals of Family Medicine. His results show that most patients expect to cough for seven to nine days. In reality, a bronchial illness takes closer to 18 days on average to run its course.

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