ArticleBMC primary care2026
Self-reported infections in Norway: a study of incidence, doctor visits, antibiotic use, and absence from work.
Article in BMC primary care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInfections are common and frequently lead to doctor visits, use of antibiotics, and absence from work.
objectiveTo investigate frequency of different self-reported infections and the impact on doctor visits, antibiotic use, and absence from work.
methodA cross-sectional study based on an online survey in Norwegian primary care, focusing on infections. Individuals between 25 and 70 years of age, were recruited by general practitioners (GPs) through the Norwegian Primary Care Research Network. The respondents reported different types of infections they had experienced in the last 3 months, and if the infection resulted in a GP visit, use of antibiotics or absence from work. Descriptive analyses were used to estimate proportions and multivariate logistic regressions to assess predictors for absence from work.
resultsIn total, 74.5% of the respondents reported to have experienced an infection during the last 3 months. Respiratory infections were reported by 63.7%, among these cases, 50.9% reported common cold (95% CI 47.6-54.2), 31.5% influenza-like illness (95% CI 28.4-34.5) and 17.9% COVID-19 (95% CI 15.2-20.5). Among those reporting respiratory tract infections, only 18.6% (95% CI 16.4-20.8) visited a GP. Bronchitis/pneumonia most often led to a GP visit (52.8%, 95% CI 36.3-71.0) and antibiotic prescription (25.0%, 95% CI 11.5-40.7). Respiratory tract infections and gastrointestinal infections had the greatest impact on sickness absence from work. Of these, COVID-19 was the strongest predictor for absence from work (OR 9.29, 95% CI 5.8-14.8).
conclusionRespiratory tract infections were the most common type of self-reported infection, and while only one in five visited the GP, the impact on work absence was large. COVID-19 gave the greatest risk of absenteeism.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.