Summary
cough, vomiting, wheeze, asthma
RTI, ASTHMA
The present study measured the effect of STARWAVe risk factors, risk elicitation method (sliding scale versus category selection), and parental concern on GPs’ risk assessments and antibiotic prescribing decisions in children presenting with cough and RTI. Six STARWAVe risk factors correctly increased GPs’ risk assessments (temperature, age, recession, wheeze, asthma, and vomiting), whereas one incorrectly reduced them (short illness duration). Conversely, only one STARWAVe risk factor increased prescribing odds (temperature); the rest either reduced them (short illness duration, age, and recession) or had no significant impact (wheeze, asthma, and vomiting). Risk-elicitation method (sliding scale versus category selection) and parental concern (present versus absent) increased GPs’ risk assessments, but not their prescribing odds.