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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12188/15120
Title: | Self-Care for Common Colds by Primary Care Patients: A European Multicenter Survey on the Prevalence and Patterns of Practices-The COCO Study | Authors: | Thielmann, Anika Biljana Gerasimovska-Kitanovska Buczkowski, Krzysztof Koskela, Tuomas H Mevsim, Vildan Czachowski, Slawomir Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando Petek-Šter, Marija Lingner, Heidrun Hoffman, Robert D Tekiner, Selda Chambe, Juliette Edirne, Tamer Hoffmann, Kathryn Pirrotta, Enzo Uludağ, Ayşegül Yikilkan, Hülya Kreitmayer Pestic, Sanda Zielinski, Andrzej Guede Fernández, Clara Weltermann, Birgitta |
Issue Date: | 2016 | Publisher: | Hindawi Limited | Journal: | Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine | Abstract: | Background. Patients use self-care to relieve symptoms of common colds, yet little is known about the prevalence and patterns across Europe. Methods/Design. In a cross-sectional study 27 primary care practices from 14 countries distributed 120 questionnaires to consecutive patients (≥18 years, any reason for consultation). A 27-item questionnaire asked for patients' self-care for their last common cold. Results. 3,074 patients from 27 European sites participated. Their mean age was 46.7 years, and 62.5% were females. 99% of the participants used ≥1 self-care practice. In total, 527 different practices were reported; the age-standardized mean was 11.5 (±SD 6.0) per participant. The most frequent self-care categories were foodstuffs (95%), extras at home (81%), preparations for intestinal absorption (81%), and intranasal applications (53%). Patterns were similar across all sites, while the number of practices varied between and within countries. The most frequent single practices were water (43%), honey (42%), paracetamol (38%), oranges/orange juice (38%), and staying in bed (38%). Participants used 9 times more nonpharmaceutical items than pharmaceutical items. The majority (69%) combined self-care with and without proof of evidence, while ≤1% used only evidence-based items. Discussion. This first cross-national study on self-care for common colds showed a similar pattern across sites but quantitative differences. | URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12188/15120 | ISSN: | 1741-427X | DOI: | 10.1155/2016/6949202 |
Appears in Collections: | Faculty of Medicine: Journal Articles |
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