Managing acute bronchitis in primary care

Professor Bruce Arroll talks about managing acute bronchitis in primary care. Bruce is a General Practitioner in South Auckland, Director of the Goodfellow Unit and Professor of General Practice at the University of Auckland.

Topics

symptoms
common held belief that coloured sputum equates to a bacterial infection
should we be routinely ordering sputum cultures for acute bronchitis?
dealing with the common patient expectation to receive antibiotics for acute bronchitis.
patients at higher risk of potential complications
helping your patient understand why antibiotics are not required
what symptomatic relief can we offer patients?
lifestyle and health messages.

Take home messages

The vast majority of antibiotics prescribed in primary care provide no benefit.
Starting point for respiratory conditions is not to give antibiotics.
If you have someone who is absolutely convinced they want antibiotics, try a delayed prescription.
Start to lower patient expectations so they understand how long it will really take to get better.

Resources

Patient Resources

Acute Bronchitis Medline Plus
Acute bronchitis Health Navigator

Presenter

Professor Bruce Arroll

Professor of General Practice

To contact Bruce Click here.

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The Goodfellow Unit podcast is funded in part by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.