What health policy makers need to know about mismatches between public perceptions of disease risk, prevalence and severity: a national survey

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess people’s perceptions of their personal risk, population prevalence and perceived severity in relation to three key health conditions (cancer, heart disease and hearing loss), gauge the size of any misperceptions, and identify correlates of such misperceptions. / Design: This study was a cross-sectional survey. / Study sample: A total of 10,401 adults representative of the UK population were participated in the study. / Results: Clear majorities of people incorrectly believe that they are at greater personal risk of cancer (>75%), that cancer is more prevalent in the population (>50%) and that cancer is more disabling (>65%), than either heart disease or hearing loss. In turn, people consistently regard their personal risk of hearing loss, the population prevalence of hearing loss and the severity of hearing loss as lower than either cancer or heart disease. Multiple regression analyses showed inconsistent patterns of relationships between people’s beliefs, sociodemographic characteristics and their health behaviours. / Conclusions: Accuracy in beliefs about cancer, heart disease and hearing loss is low, and the relationships between these beliefs, their potential antecedents and consequences are complex. Policy makers should ensure close adherence to evidence or risk-making decisions that are costly both in financial terms and in terms of suboptimal population subjective well-being

Pharmacological and conservative interventions for ear discharge associated with grommets (ventilation tubes) outside the postoperative period

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness and safety of various treatment strategies in patients with grommets who developed ear discharge

Respiratory tract infection-related healthcare utilisation in children with Down's syndrome

Purpose: Children with Down’s syndrome (DS) are prone to respiratory tract infections (RTIs) due to anatomical variation, immune system immaturity and comorbidities. However, evidence on RTI-related healthcare utilisation, especially in primary care, is incomplete. In this retrospective cohort study, we use routinely collected primary and secondary care data to quantify RTI-related healthcare utilisation in children with DS and matched controls without DS. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 992 children with DS and 4874 matched controls attending English general practices and hospitals as identified in Clinical disease research using LInked Bespoke studies and Electronic health Records (CALIBER) from 1997 to 2010. Poisson regression was used to calculate consultation, hospitalisation and prescription rates, and rate ratios. Wald test was used to compare risk of admission following consultation. The Wilcoxon rank–sum test was used to compare length of stay by RTI type and time-to-hospitalisation. Results: RTI-related healthcare utilisation is significantly higher in children with DS than in controls in terms of GP consultations (adjusted RR 1.73; 95% CI 1.62–1.84), hospitalisations (adjusted RR 5.70; 95% CI 4.82–6.73), and antibiotic prescribing (adjusted RR 2.34; 95% CI 2.19–2.49). Two percent of children with DS presenting for an RTI-related GP consultation were subsequently admitted for an RTI-related hospitalisation, compared to 0.7% in controls. Conclusions: Children with DS have higher rates of GP consultations, hospitalisations and antibiotic prescribing compared to controls. This poses a significant burden on families. Further research is recommended to characterise healthcare behaviours and clinical decision-making, to optimise care for this at risk group

Otitis media

Otitis media (OM) or middle ear inflammation is a spectrum of diseases, including acute otitis media (AOM), otitis media with effusion (OME; ‘glue ear’) and chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). OM is among the most common diseases in young children worldwide. Although OM may resolve spontaneously without complications, it can be associated with hearing loss and life-long sequelae. In developing countries, CSOM is a leading cause of hearing loss. OM can be of bacterial or viral origin; during ‘colds’, viruses can ascend through the Eustachian tube to the middle ear and pave the way for bacterial otopathogens that reside in the nasopharynx. Diagnosis depends on typical signs and symptoms, such as acute ear pain and bulging of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) for AOM and hearing loss for OME; diagnostic modalities include (pneumatic) otoscopy, tympanometry and audiometry. Symptomatic management of ear pain and fever is the mainstay of AOM treatment, reserving antibiotics for children with severe, persistent or recurrent infections. Management of OME largely consists of watchful waiting, with ventilation (tympanostomy) tubes primarily for children with chronic effusions and hearing loss, developmental delays or learning difficulties. The role of hearing aids to alleviate symptoms of hearing loss in the management of OME needs further study. Insertion of ventilation tubes and adenoidectomy are common operations for recurrent AOM to prevent recurrences, but their effectiveness is still debated. Despite reports of a decline in the incidence of OM over the past decade, attributed to the implementation of clinical guidelines that promote accurate diagnosis and judicious use of antibiotics and to pneumococcal conjugate vaccination, OM continues to be a leading cause for medical consultation, antibiotic prescription and surgery in high-income countries

Antibiotics for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children

Objectives: This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of oral antibiotics for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children

Adenoidectomy for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children

OBJECTIVES: This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows:. To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of adenoidectomy, either alone or in combination with ventilation tubes (grommets), for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children

Topical and oral steroids for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children

Objectives: This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows:. To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of topical and oral steroids for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children