Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35509024›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2022

Clinical management and outcomes of acute febrile illness in children attending a tertiary hospital in southern Ethiopia.

Techalew Shimelis, Susana Vaz Nery, Birkneh Tilahun Tadesse, Adam W Bartlett, Fitsum W/Gebriel Belay, Gill Schierhout, Sabine Dittrich, John A Crump, John M Kaldor

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 5 countries.

Techalew ShimelisKirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. techalew03@yahoo.com.
Susana Vaz NeryKirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Birkneh Tilahun TadesseCollege of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Adam W BartlettKirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Fitsum W/Gebriel BelayCollege of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Gill SchierhoutThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Sabine DittrichFoundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, Switzerland.
John A CrumpCentre for International Health, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
John M KaldorKirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
UNSW Sydney · AUHawassa University · ETThe George Institute for Global Health · AUUniversity of Otago · NZUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe management of febrile illnesses is challenging in settings where diagnostic laboratory facilities are limited, and there are few published longitudinal data on children presenting with fever in such settings. We have previously conducted the first comprehensive study of infectious aetiologies of febrile children presenting to a tertiary care facility in Ethiopia. We now report on clinicians' prescribing adherence with guidelines and outcomes of management in this cohort.

methodsWe consecutively enrolled febrile children aged 2 months and under 13 years, who were then managed by clinicians based on presentation and available laboratory and radiologic findings on day of enrolment. We prospectively collected outcome data on days 7 and 14, and retrospectively evaluated prescribing adherence with national clinical management guidelines.

resultsOf 433 children enrolled, the most common presenting syndromes were pneumonia and acute diarrhoea, diagnosed in 177 (40.9%) and 82 (18.9%), respectively. Antibacterial agents were prescribed to 360 (84.7%) of 425 children, including 36 (34.0%) of 106 children without an initial indication for antibacterials according to guidelines. Antimalarial drugs were prescribed to 47 (11.1%) of 425 children, including 30 (7.3%) of 411 children with negative malaria microscopy. Fever had resolved in 357 (89.7%) of 398 children assessed at day 7, and in-hospital death within 7 days occurred in 9 (5.9%) of 153 admitted patients. Among children with pneumonia, independent predictors of persisting fever or death by 7 days were young age and underweight for age. Antibacterial prescribing in the absence of a guideline-specified indication (overprescribing) was more likely among infants and those without tachypnea, while overprescribing antimalarials was associated with older age, anaemia, absence of cough, and higher fevers.

conclusionOur study underscores the need for improving diagnostic support to properly guide management decisions and enhance adherence by clinicians to treatment guidelines.

Indexed as

AntimalarialsFeverAnti-Bacterial AgentsChildEthiopiaHospital MortalityHumansInfantRetrospective StudiesTertiary Care CentersAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntimalarialsAntibacterialAntimalarialClinical managementFeverOutcomeOverprescribingPneumonia

Identifiers

PMID35509024
PMCPMC9069758
OpenAlexW4229002727

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.