BACKGROUND. Upper respiratory infections (URIs) account for many of the visits in primary care and are commonly treated with ineffective antibiotic therapy. The purpose of this study was to examine patient beliefs in the effectiveness of antibiotics and the likelihood of seeking care for normal presentations of URIs. METHODS. We conducted a survey of 961 adults ([is greater than or equal to] 18 years of age) from an undifferentiated patient population in a university-based family practice residency clinic in metropolitan Kentucky, a private internal medicine practice in nonmetropolitan Kentucky, and, in metropolitan Louisiana, an emergency department and a convenience sample from the community. RESULTS. Seventy-two percent of the sample reported that they would seek care with a condition of 5 days' duration with cough, sore throat, and discolored nasal discharge. Sixty-one percent of the sample expressed their belief that antibiotics are effective for a condition of 5 days' duration with cough, sore throat, and clear nasal discharge; 79% said that they believed antibiotics are effective when there is discolored discharge (P=.0001). Medicaid recipients were most likely to seek care across the symptom complexes. Higher education was related to a decreased belief in the effectiveness of antibiotics for the scenario with clear discharge (P.001), but to an increased belief in the effectiveness of antibiotics in the scenario with discolored discharge (P=.003). The strongest predictor of both likelihood of utilization and belief in effectiveness of antibiotics was usual use of antibiotics for the URI symptom complexes. CONCLUSIONS. Patients lack understanding of the normal presentation of a URI and the effectiveness of antibiotics as a treatment. A confusion about the meaning of discolored nasal discharge is particularly evident, and past antibiotic use may contribute to inappropriate utilization and expectations for antibiotics. KEY WORDS. Respiratory tract infections; antibiotics; physicians, family; patient education. (J Fam Pract 1997; 45:75-83) Upper respiratory infections (URIs) are common acute infections and are one of the five most common diagnoses in ambulatory care physician office visits.[1] Although URIs are mild, self-limited, and of short duration, they are a leading cause of acute morbidity and industrial and school absenteeism.[2-4] Recent research focusing on ipratropium bromide[5] and zinc gluconate[6] have shown some promise, but few successful treatments have been identified for URIs.[7] The overwhelming majority of URIs are caused by viruses[28]; thus, antibiotics are not indicated for the treatment of URIs.[9] A recent study[10] attempted to isolate "bacterial colds" for which antibiotics might be effective treatments. The findings of this study, however, are not universally accepted.[11] Nevertheless, antibiotics are widely prescribed for URIs.[12-14] A recent study in a Medicaid population showed that 60% of cases of acute nasopharyngitis (ie, common cold) were treated with antibiotics.[12] Overprescribing antibiotics for unnecessary purposes has become the focus of a particularly pressing public health problem. The overuse of antibiotics in conditions for which antibiotics are neither effective nor indicated (eg, infections caused by viruses) has played a significant role in the development of drug-resistant bacteria[15-18] Consequently, several authors have voiced urgent calls for changes in the...