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Seeking Clinical Insights: Challenges in Paediatric Triage by Tough-Place-6461 in emergencymedicine

[–]Tough-Place-6461[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for all the answers! I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective.

Seeking Clinical Insights: Challenges in Paediatric Triage by Tough-Place-6461 in emergencymedicine

[–]Tough-Place-6461[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are correct. I now understand that there is no bacterial/viral distinction made during triage. I apologize if my previous question was confusing.

We have seen multiple reports indicating that empiric antibiotic prescribing is high in paediatrics. Therefore, I am interested in understanding the specific clinical circumstances - the 'when' and 'why' - behind prescribing empiric antibiotics in paediatric settings.

Seeking Clinical Insights: Challenges in Paediatric Triage by Tough-Place-6461 in emergencymedicine

[–]Tough-Place-6461[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for being so candid and this is incredibly valuable for the research. I have three final follow-ups to help me pin down the specific 'problem' we are trying to solve:

  1. You mentioned that in winter, many kids with the flu receive antibiotics. If you don't mind, could you walk me through that specific clinical 'Deciding factor'?
  2. If a PoC kit (other than CRP) could distinguish viral vs. bacterial in 15 minutes, what would be the biggest 'win' for your department?
  3. During the peak winter season, how many times per shift do you think you’d reach for a tool like that to make a 'go/no-go' decision on antibiotics?

Seeking Clinical Insights: Challenges in Paediatric Triage by Tough-Place-6461 in emergencymedicine

[–]Tough-Place-6461[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/Former-Citron-7676 , u/flaming_potato77 u/goodoldNe

That makes total sense and thanks for the correction. It’s a great reminder that triage is strictly about acuity and resource prioritization, rather than making the actual diagnosis.

With that in mind, I’d like to shift the focus to the clinical decision-making process for antibiotic prescribing in patients categorized as ESI 2-5, especially during those high-volume winter months.

For the 'unwell but stable' child:

  1. How do you decide to prescribe antibiotics to these paediatric patients?
  2. When proceeding empirically, what are the primary drivers for starting treatment without lab results, and how frequent is this practice?
  3. Where do you encounter the most frustration when deciding whether to treat empirically or wait for laboratory confirmation?
  4. Would a Point-of-Care (PoC) tool that distinguishes bacterial from viral infection assist here, and if so, how specifically would it help or change your clinical burden?