Introduction/Objective: There have been several double-blind randomised trials comparing antibiotic with placebo in the treatment of acute bronchitis in the community. This systematic review and meta-analysis seeks to quantitatively assess the efficacy of antibiotic in the treatment of this common condition.

Methods: We have undertaken a systematic review of all of published and unpublished RCTs. We will describe the methods used to search for studies, the inclusion and exclusion criteria determined prior to the start of the study, the methodological problems encountered in the assessment of outcome and the subsequent problems of generalizability to UK and Irish general practice.

Results: Initial results show that there is no difference between antibiotic and placebo in terms of productive cough between 7 and 14 days, (odds ratio 1.01, 95%CI -0.75 to 1.36). There is clinical heterogeneity between the populations chosen in the nine RCTs. There is statistical heterogeneity in some of the outcomes, for example of the number of individuals who have not improved clinically at 4 to 14 days. For every 100 people treated with antibiotic, eight suffered a significant side effect. Sensitivity analyses will be presented and the clinical implications discussed.

Discussion: Antibiotic has no appreciable effect on clinical outcomes for acute bronchitis.