Influenza and influenza-like syndromes: the subjects ’ beliefs, the attitude to prevention and treatment, and the impact in Italian general population

ConclusionsSeasonal prevalence of I-LSs and influenza partially overlap. As virus identification is not a common procedure in daily practice, only a clinical discrimination is possible. Antibiotic prescription is still too high and largely inappropriate. Influenza vaccination is strongly encouraged, but different strategies are also used. Other approaches are receiving increasing attention in general population, and subjects ’ willingness to spend out-of-pocket for effective remedies is also increasing. The discrepancy between subjects’ beliefs and health care actions likely reflects the insufficiency of institutional preventive strategies. In general, the approach to influenza and I-LSs appear variable and highly d ependent of subjects’ and their GPs’ cultural beliefs.
Source: Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Source Type: research