Improving Management of Patients with Acute Cough by CRP point of care testing and Communication Training.

Point of care C-reactive protein test and enhanced communication skills for managing acute cough due to lower respiratory tract infection in general practice; cost-effectiveness and effect on diagnostic testing, antibiotic prescribing and recovery: a randomised controlled trial.

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

NL-OMON

Registry ID

NL-OMON29041

Enrollment

400

Registered

2005-05-12

Start date

2005-11-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2024-02-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Interventions

Randomisation at the level of practice. Factorial randomisation into four groups: 1. Access to and training in PoC CRP plus communication training. 2. Access to and training in PoC CRP alone. 3. C

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: First consultation of current episode of acute cough (duration <4 weeks). Regarded by the GP to be caused by an acute lower respiratory tract infection - At least one out of following 4: Shortness of breath / wheezing / chest pain / auscultation abnormalities - At least one of the following 5: Fever / perspiring / headache / myalgia / feeling generally unwell.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Patients who require immediate admission to hospital; 2.Patients who have no understanding of written and/or Dutch language; 3. Patients who previously participated in the study; 4. Patients who currently use antibiotic or have taken an antibiotic in the past 2 weeks; 5. Patients who have been hospitalized in the past 6 weeks.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Change (decrease) in antibiotic prescription; 2. Clinical recovery and return to normal work and activities.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Cost-effectiveness of PoC CRP and communication training; 2. Use of medical services, including re-consultation; 3. Change (decrease) in diagnostic testing other than PoC CRP.	—

Contacts

Public ContactJochen Cals

University Maastricht (UM), P.O. Box 616

j.cals@hag.unimaas.nl+31 (0)43 3882441

Outcome results