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Table 2 Management decisions: relationship between ‘gut feeling’ and subsequent clinical management

From: What gives rise to clinician gut feeling, its influence on management decisions and its prognostic value for children with RTI in primary care: a prospective cohort study

Treatment

No gut feeling

Yes gut feeling

Univariable analysis controlling for clustering

Multivariable analysis controlling for clustering and significant covariates

n/N

%

n/N

%

OR

95% CI

P-value

OR

95% CI

P-value

Prescribed antibiotics at baseline consultation

 Any antibiotics prescribed

1707/6671

25.6

1403/1706

82.2

20.80

17.42-24.83

< 0.001

5.85

4.67-7.32

< 0.001±

Referred for acute admission (during the recruiting consultation)

 Referral for acute admission

16/6671

0.2

58/1706

3.4

19.27

9.83-37.79

< 0.001

12.64

6.31-25.32

< 0.001¥

  1. ±Co-variates of any antibiotic prescription (retained at the < 1% level): illness has got worse recently, child’s age (< 2 years), barking cough, fever, diarrhoea, low energy and productive cough during the illness, moderate/severe wheeze and severe fever in the last 24 h, recession, crackles and crepitations, wheeze (as reported by the clinician), bronchial breath, inflamed pharynx, high temperature, high clinician and parent illness severity scores, low illness duration and gut feeling that something is wrong
  2. ¥Co-variates of referral for acute admission (retained at the < 1% level): Recession, gut feeling that something is wrong and capillary refill time (CRT)