Summary
In 81 adults in English general practice, advice to irrigate with hypertonic saline plus a delayed antibiotic was acceptable and feasible, with 96% using it in week one. Self-reported antibiotic use was 58% with saline against 40% with usual care, and the pilot was not designed to test effect.
Key points
- Design: Open-label individually randomized pilot with nested process evaluation. Feasibility only.
- Funding: NIHR SPCR. No conflicts declared.
- Added from the October 2026 literature sweep, from the abstract; curators to check against the full text.