{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T06:21:14Z","timestamp":1771914074548,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,21]],"date-time":"2024-12-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1734739200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":20,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Australian National Health and Medical Research Council","award":["1153299"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1153299"]}]},{"name":"Centre for Research Excellence in Minimising Antibiotic Resistance in the Community"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,8]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To explore the general public\u2019s expectations about the likely duration of acute infections that are commonly managed in primary care and if care is sought for these infections, reasons for doing so.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional online survey.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Participants<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A nationwide sample of 589 Australian residents, \u226518 years old with representative quotas for age and gender, recruited via an online panel provider.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Outcome measures<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>For eight acute infections, participants\u2019 estimated duration of each, time until they would seek care, and reasons for seeking care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>For four infections, participants\u2019 mean estimates of duration were within an evidence-based range\u2014common cold (7.2\u2009days), sore throat (5.2\u2009days), acute otitis media (6.2\u2009days) and impetigo (8.3\u2009days); and &gt;70% of the participants estimated a duration within the range. However, participants\u2019 estimated mean duration was shorter than evidence-based estimates for acute cough (7.6\u2009days), sinusitis (5.6\u2009days), conjunctivitis (5.7\u2009days) and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs; 5.4\u2009days); and &gt;60% of the participants underestimated the duration. Of the 589 participants, 365 (62%) indicated they were unlikely to routinely seek care for self-limiting infections. Most common reasons for care-seeking were severe or worsening symptoms, a desire for quick recovery and fear of progression to complications. After being shown typical durations, the proportion of participants who reported having no concerns waiting for spontaneous resolution while managing symptoms with over-the-counter medications ranged across the infections and was highest for common cold (68%) and lowest for UTI (31%).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participants underestimated the duration of some infections compared with evidence-based estimates and were accurate in their estimates for other infections. Many stated that they would not be concerned about waiting for illnesses to self-resolve after learning the typical duration. Communicating the expected duration of common acute infections during routine consultations can help manage patients\u2019 expectations of recovery and need to seek care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2024-090190","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,22]],"date-time":"2024-12-22T09:35:48Z","timestamp":1734860148000},"page":"e090190","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["What are the general public\u2019s expectations about the likely duration of common acute infections? 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