Antibiotics v placebo for patients with sore throat in primary care settings (fixed effects model)*
| Outcomes | No of studies | Weighted event rates | RRR (95% CI) | NNT (CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antibiotics | Placebo | ||||
| *Abbreviations defined in glossary; RRR, NNT, and CI calculated from data in article. | |||||
| Rheumatic fever by 2 months | 11 | 1.4% | 1.9% | 69% (53 to 80) | 186 (117 to 445) |
| Otitis media by 14 days | 10 | 1.5% | 2.2% | 71% (47 to 84) | 144 (75 to 1923) |
| Quinsy by 2 months | 7 | 1.5% | 2.4% | 81% (48 to 93) | 113 (58 to 2541) |
| Fever at day 3 | 6 | 13.3% | 19.8% | 37% (19 to 51) | 16 (10 to 35) |
| Throat soreness at day 3 | 11 | 44% | 63% | 28% (23 to 33) | 6 (5 to 7) |
| Headache at day 3 | 2 | 24% | 44% | 45% (31 to 55) | 5 (4 to 8) |
