Shared decision-making for pediatric acute otitis media in the United States: a randomized emergency department trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Shared decision-making is increasingly utilized when multiple reasonable options exist. In the emergency department, however, several perceived barriers-such as time constraints, illness complexity, and varying levels of acceptance-limit its use. In cases of acute otitis media (AOM) in children, parental expectations for immediate antibiotic treatment often conflict with national guidelines recommending a trial of analgesics for 48 to 72 h prior to initiating antibiotics. As a result, antibiotic prescribing rates in the emergency department remain high, reaching up to 96%. Our aim was to measure the impact of the ear pain decision aid on parental knowledge, engagement and antibiotic use.

Methods

We conducted a randomized trial in the Emergency Department and affil

SUBMITTER: Anderson JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12318399 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature