Clinical and haematological predictors of antibiotic prescribing for acute cough in adults in Swiss practices--an observational study.

Background: Acute cough is a common problem in general practice and is often caused by a self-limiting, viral infection. Nonetheless, antibiotics are often prescribed in this situation, which may lead to unnecessary side effects and, even worse, the development of antibiotic resistant microorganisms worldwide. This study assessed the role of point-of-care C-reactive protein (CRP) testing and other predictors of antibiotic prescription in patients who present with acute cough in general practice.

Asthma data from the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network, 1989-2005 - from monitoring to research.

Questions Under Study / Principles: The Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network (SSSN) has been used as a monitoring system for asthma epidemiology. Three aspects of asthma were studied between 1989 and 2005: the seasonal pattern of asthma, practice incidence and time trends for allergic and non-allergic asthma on the basis of the association of asthma with eczema and hay fever. The purpose of this report is to use the results from 17 years of asthma monitoring to show that the SSSN can be used as an instrument of research in practice.

Is the ebb of asthma due to the decline of allergic asthma? A prospective consultation-based study by the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network, 1999-2005.

Objective: There are conflicting views on time trends of asthma and atopy during the last 10-15 years. Additional confusion is caused by the term of asthma which is a unifying name for different phenotypes. Asthma has been a topic for investigation to the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network (SSSN) since 1989.

Sickness certification in primary care - the physician's role.

Background: Sickness certification is a routine task of primary care (PC) physicians which has an impact on patients' health, the health care system and the economy. As sickness certification is poorly studied, we quantified sickness certification and explored qualitatively the sickness certification process by Swiss PC physicians.

Methods: PC physicians participating in the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network (SSSN) recorded the frequency and duration of absence from work of each related consultation and certificate during 2005.

Trends in primary care consultations for asthma in Switzerland, 1989-2002.

Background: There is widespread debate about trends in the occurrence of asthma in industrialized countries. This study was conducted to investigate time trends in consultations for asthma in primary care in Switzerland.

Methods: Prospective observational study from 1989 to 2002 within the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network; a primary care surveillance system.