Many children with pneumonia receive unnecessary antibiotics, chest X-rays

According to a national study conducted by Todd Florin, MD, MSCE, of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Hospital in Chicago, preschool children with community acquired pneumonia often undergo testing and treatment unnecessary in outpatient clinics and emergency services. Although most cases of community-acquired pneumonia in young children are caused by viruses, for which antibiotics provide no benefit, antibiotics have been prescribed in almost 74% of outpatient clinics. Chest X-rays were performed in 43% of cases, despite recommendations against routine use in young children with outpatient pneumonia. The results were published in the Journal of the Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

"It is worrying that so many young children with community-acquired pneumonia are getting antibiotics they do not need," said Dr. Florin, head of the Grainger Initiative in Medicine Research. Pediatric emergency at Lurie Children's and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University. Feinberg School of Medicine. "In addition to going against the evidence and clinical guidelines, the overconsumption of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance, which threatens the future availability of effective treatments for bacterial infections, while resulting in side effects badociated with antibiotics ranging from mild to life threatening. "

Community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common infections in children. It represents approximately 1.5 million health care visits each year in the United States.

In 2011, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America released clinical guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia. These groups advise against routine chest x-ray, complete blood counts and blood cultures, and routine antibiotics for preschool children treated as outpatients.

To evaluate the effect of this guideline, Dr. Florin and colleagues reviewed national data representing approximately 6.3 million visits to outpatient clinics and emergency services in 2008-2015. children 1-6 years old with community acquired pneumonia. They found that the high use of non-recommended diagnostic tests and antibiotics persisted throughout the study and that the 2011 guidelines had no impact on practice.

"Targeted quality improvement efforts are needed to increase adherence to recommendations to ensure that these children receive appropriate and evidence-based care," said Dr. Florin. "In particular we need to focus on reducing the overuse of antibiotics, which is of utmost importance."

###

This study was funded in part by the National Institute of National Institutes of Health for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Grant K23 AI121325 to Dr. Florin).

Research conducted at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago is conducted by the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute. The Manne Research Institute strives to improve children's health, transform pediatric medicine, and build a healthier future through the never-ending quest for knowledge. Lurie Children's is ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by the US News & World Report. This is the pediatric training ground of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Last year, the hospital served more than 212,000 children in 49 states and 51 countries.

Warning: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of the news releases published on EurekAlert! contributing institutions or for the use of any information via the EurekAlert system.