3 Cold
Brenda Lee: “Cold”
Case
Brenda Lee is a 31 year old female. Over the telephone, she explains that she has had a cough productive of thick yellow sputum for four days. She feels tired and achy and requests that you call in a Z-pak because that’s what your partner called in for her last year and it worked.
Questions to Consider
- What additional history is needed?
- Should this patient be prescribed antibiotics over the phone?
- Does this patient need to be seen in the office?
- What is the best way to manage this patient?
Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, active participants will be able to:
- Elicit an adequate history to evaluate a young healthy patient with a cough.
- Describe evidence-based management of bronchitis.
- Identify the indications and contraindications for prescribing antibiotics.
- Use shared decision making to develop a plan of care that is acceptable to the patient.
- Educate patients on the dangers of inappropriate antibiotic use in a way that preserves an alliance with the patient.
Required Reading: Treatment of the Common Cold
Mobile Medicard: URI