Patients expect a chest infection to settle in a few days, and many return or ask for antibiotics when the cough is still there in week two. In primary care cohorts, an acute cough commonly lasts around three weeks, and antibiotics do little to shorten it in otherwise well adults.
Giving the expected duration up front, with clear red flags — breathlessness, chest pain, high fever beyond a few days, coughing blood, or feeling more unwell — reduces repeat visits and unnecessary prescribing.
- Tell patients a post-infective cough often lasts about three weeks.
- List the red flags that should bring them back sooner.
- Reassess anyone whose cough persists beyond three to four weeks.
- Reserve antibiotics for suspected pneumonia or high-risk patients.
Why it matters
An expectation set at the first visit prevents the second visit asking for antibiotics.
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