Antibiotic Prescription in Children Hospitalized for Community-acquired Pneumonia

Antibiotic Prescription in Children Hospitalized for Community-acquired Pneumonia: a Prospective, Observational Study

A study to observe how often antibiotics are prescribed in children hospitalized for pneumonia and how doctors decide if a child needs antibiotics or not. Parent satisfaction will also be recorded.

An observational study to document the antibiotic treatment rate of children hospitalized for community acquired pneumonia at a pediatric department with longstanding practice of restrictive antibiotic prescribing. Patients will be enrolled consecutively and treated according to in-house standard operating procedure. Antibiotic treatment rate, severity of disease and medical complication rate in antibiotic and non-antibiotic managed children, frequency of predefined factors in physician decision making on antibiotic use, and parental satisfaction will be recorded. Parents will be contacted at least 4 weeks after discharge to inquire about recurrence or readmission.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Hospital admission at the pediatric department of the Filderklinik or at the pediatric department of the Herdecke Community Hospital
• Admission diagnosis pneumonia or pneumonia diagnosis within 48 hours of admission
• Written informed consent by care giver
• All inclusion criteria have to be fulfilled

Exclusion Criteria:

• Insufficient knowledge of German to understand the written patient information and questionnaire