Cold kits help patients feel better

Scripps Howard

You’re feeling crummy _ cough, runny nose, achy – all the symptoms of the basic miserable cold.

You go to the doctor and are told you’ve got a virus – nothing a prescription will do any good against – and you’re sent home, feeling a bit jilted by it all.

Or, the doctor tells you the same thing, but sends you home with a cough and cold care kit, complete with pain relievers, decongestant, cough syrup, lozenges, even a packet of chicken soup and a teabag.

Researchers in Minnesota compared the two approaches over two winters at six health plans and found that people who left the clinic with cold kit boxes were substantially less likely to fill a prescription for antibiotics within three days of that visit.

That’s important, because health professionals are scrambling for ways to keep doctors and patients from over-using antibiotics for illnesses that the antibiotics won’t help, particularly upper respiratory infections.

“Inappropriate use of antibiotics to treat viral illnesses is thought to be a key factor in the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria,” said Pamala Gahr, a researcher with the Minnesota Department of Health. “Providing these kits appears to be a useful tool to decrease unnecessary antibiotic use in patients with upper respiratory illness.”

She presented results from the study during an international conference on infectious diseases in Atlanta. The test was carried out by the Minnesota Antibiotic Resistance Collaborative.

“Patients come into these clinics, make their co-payments and feel like they should be getting something from their doctor,” Gahr added. “It validates the fact that yes you feel crummy, yes you feel sick. You leave feeling satisfied.”