Management of minor illness.

Morrell, D C; Avery, Anthony J; Watkins, Chris

doi:10.1136/bmj.280.6216.769

Cited by 49 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Our data support previous evidence that both general information and specific information can modify patients' use of services. 4 – 6 10 – 12 However, the absolute change in terms of consultations for minor illness was not significant for either the booklet or summary card. The estimate of the reduction in contacts with the summary card was 7%, but the confidence intervals greatly overlapped unity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Randomised controlled trial of self management leaflets and booklets for minor illness provided by post

Little¹

2001

BMJ

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Objective To assess the effectiveness of providing information by post about managing minor illnesses. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting Six general practices. Participants Random sample of 4002 patients from the practice registers. Intervention Patients were randomised to receive one of three kinds of leaflet or booklet endorsed by their general practitioner: control (surgery access times), booklet, or summary card. Main outcome measures Attendance with the 42 minor illnesses listed in the booklet. Perceived usefulness of leaflets or booklets, confidence in managing illness, and willingness to wait before seeing the doctor. Results 238 (6%) patients did not receive the intervention as allocated. Of the remaining 3764 patients, 2965 (79%) had notes available for review after one year. Compared with the control group, fewer patients attended commonly with the minor illnesses in the booklet group (>2 consultations a year: odds ratio 0.81, 95% confidence interval 0.67 to 0.99) and the summary card group (0.83; 0.72 to 0.96). Among patients who had attended with respiratory tract infections in the past year there was a reduction in those attending in the booklet group (0.81; 0.62 to 1.07) and summary card group (0.67; 0.51 to 0.89) compared with the control group. The incidence of contacts with minor illness fell slightly compared with the previous year in the booklet (incidence ratio 0.97; 0.84 to 1.13) and summary card groups (0.93; 0.80 to 1.07). More patients in the intervention groups felt greater confidence in managing illness (booklet 32%, card 34%, control 12%, P < 0.001), but there was no difference in willingness to wait score (all groups mean = 32, P = 0.67). Conclusion Most patients find information about minor illness provided by post useful, and it helps their confidence in managing illness. Information may reduce the number attending commonly with minor illness, but the effect on overall contacts is likely to be modest. These data suggest that posting detailed information booklets about minor illness to the general population would have a limited effect.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Randomised controlled trial of self management leaflets and booklets for minor illness provided by post

Little¹

2001

BMJ

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“…Previous research on the impact of information booklets on patient behaviour has been restricted to one general practice, 11 12 specific health problems,13 – 16 or children's symptoms 17 – 19. A randomised controlled trial of the effect of Baby Check (an illness scoring system) showed that distribution to an unselected group of mothers did not affect use of health services 20.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of impact of information booklets on use of healthcare services: randomised controlled trial Commentary: What's wrong with opting out? Commentary: Public opinion may force researchers to seek "opt in" consent for all

Heaney

Wyke²,

Wilson³

et al. 2001

BMJ

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Objectives To investigate the effect of patient information booklets on overall use of health services, on particular types of use, and on possible interactions between use, deprivation category of the area in which respondents live, and age. To investigate the possibility of a differential effect on health service use between two information booklets. Design Randomised controlled trial of two patient information booklets (covering the management and treatment of minor illness). Setting 20 general practices in Lothian, Scotland. Participants Random sample of patients from the community health index (n = 4878) and of those contacting out of hours services (n = 4530) in the previous 12 months in each of the study general practices. Intervention Booklets were posted to participants in intervention groups (3288 were sent What Should I Do?; 3127 were sent Health Care Manual). Patients randomised to control group (2993) did not receive a booklet. Main outcome measures Use of health services audited from patients' general practice notes in 12 months after receipt of booklet. Results Receipt of either booklet had no significant effect on health service use compared with a control group. However, nine out of ten matched practices allocated to receive Health Care Manual had reduced consultation rates compared with matched practices allocated to What Should I Do? Conclusion Widespread distribution of information booklets about the management of minor illness is unlikely to reduce demand for health services.

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“…Information and education may enhance parents' sense of control and inform their perceptions of threat. However, the provision of information to parents about children's illness has met with only modest success 2 3 4 5. The impact on parents' knowledge and use of primary care services has proved disappointing,4 6 and some information may worsen parental anxiety 4.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents' difficulties and information needs in coping with acute illness in preschool children: a qualitative study

Kai

1996

BMJ

174

235

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Management of minor illness.

Cited by 49 publications

References 7 publications

Randomised controlled trial of self management leaflets and booklets for minor illness provided by post

Randomised controlled trial of self management leaflets and booklets for minor illness provided by post

Assessment of impact of information booklets on use of healthcare services: randomised controlled trial Commentary: What's wrong with opting out? Commentary: Public opinion may force researchers to seek "opt in" consent for all

Parents' difficulties and information needs in coping with acute illness in preschool children: a qualitative study

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