Clinicians' gut feeling about serious infections in children: observational study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate the basis and added value of clinicians' "gut feeling" that infections in children are more serious than suggested by clinical assessment.

Design

Observational study.

Setting

Primary care setting, Flanders, Belgium.

Participants

Consecutive series of 3890 children and young people aged 0-16 years presenting in primary care.

Main outcome measures

Presenting features, clinical assessment, doctors' intuitive response at first contact with children in primary care, and any subsequent diagnosis of serious infection determined from hospital records.

Results

Of the 3369 children and young people assessed clinically as having a non-severe illness, six (0.2%) were subsequently admitted to hospital with a serious infection. Intuitio

SUBMITTER: Van den Bruel A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3458229 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature