Ibuprofen, paracetamol, and steam for patients with respiratory tract infections in primary care: pragmatic randomised factorial trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess strategies for advice on analgesia and steam inhalation for respiratory tract infections.

Design

Open pragmatic parallel group factorial randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Primary care in United Kingdom.

Participants

Patients aged ≥ 3 with acute respiratory tract infections.

Intervention

889 patients were randomised with computer generated random numbers in pre-prepared sealed numbered envelopes to components of advice or comparator advice: advice on analgesia (take paracetamol, ibuprofen, or both), dosing of analgesia (take as required v regularly), and steam inhalation (no inhalation v steam inhalation).

Outcomes

Primary: mean symptom severity on days 2-4; symptoms rated 0 (no problem) to 7 (as bad as it can be). Secondary:

SUBMITTER: Little P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3808081 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature