Optimal management of adults with pharyngitis--a multi-criteria decision analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Current practice guidelines offer different management recommendations for adults presenting with a sore throat. The key issue is the extent to which the clinical likelihood of a Group A streptococcal infection should affect patient management decisions. To help resolve this issue, we conducted a multi-criteria decision analysis using the Analytic Hierarchy Process.

Methods

We defined optimal patient management using four criteria: 1) reduce symptom duration; 2) prevent infectious complications, local and systemic; 3) minimize antibiotic side effects, minor and anaphylaxis; and 4) achieve prudent use of antibiotics, avoiding both over-use and under-use. In our baseline analysis we assumed that all criteria and sub-criteria were equally important except minimizing

SUBMITTER: Singh S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1431519 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature