Rational prescribing for childhood pneumonia

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the management and prescribing patterns for community acquired pneumonia in children in a provincial hospital setting and, further, to discover the evidence on which treatment choices were made and ascertain the need for management guidelines. The method employed was to obtain the relevant data by a retrospective audit of the case notes of children admitted with pneumonia to Wairau Hospital, Blenheim, New Zealand. The findings indicated that there were 12 different treatment regimens employed. There appeared to be no rational basis for the choices made and no microbiological evidence to support the frequent use of broad spectrum antibiotics. No difference in clinical efficacy was found between the main regimens used. It is concluded that a simple management protocol for childhood pneumonia using a narrow spectrum antibiotic initially would be as effective, more logical and cheaper.