Accuracy of the diagnosis of pneumonia in Canadian pediatric emergency departments: A prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia and determination of the likely pathogen are complicated as the clinical picture overlaps with other respiratory illnesses, interpretation of radiographs is subjective, and laboratory results are rarely diagnostic. This study was designed to describe the relative rates of bacterial and viral pneumonia in the pediatric Emergency Department (ED), determine the accuracy of pediatric ED physicians' ability to diagnose pneumonia and distinguish bacterial from viral etiology, and to determine clinical and laboratory predictors of bacterial pneumonia.

Methods

Children 3 months to 16 years of age presenting to seven Canadian pediatric EDs before the COVID-19 pandemic with fever and cough who had a chest radiograph performed for possibl

SUBMITTER: Robinson JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11633949 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature