Nurse-based telephone protocol versus usual care for management of URI and acute sinusitis: a controlled trial

Two hundred and twelve patients with upper-respiratory-tract infection (URI) or sinusitis were treated using a nurse-based telephone protocol. This study evaluated the clinical outcomes and satisfaction of the patients compared with patients receiving usual care. For patients with URI, the rate of antibiotic administration was lower in the nurse-based telephone-treatment group (28% vs. 34%; P = .46), and for those with sinusitis, a greater proportion of the telephone treatment group received first-line antibiotics for the infection, compared with the usual care group (81% vs. 53%; P = .01). A guideline-based nurse telephone treatment protocol may decrease inappropriate use of antibiotics for URI and can result in a greater use of first-line antibiotics for patients with sinus infection with similar clinical outcomes.