SynthesisEuropean journal of pediatrics2026
Shorter versus longer antibiotic therapy for children with acute otitis media: A systematic review.
Synthesis in European journal of pediatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Short- versus long-course of antimicrobial treatment in pediatric population with acute osteoarticular infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Take Diagnostic Uncertainty Into Account.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Overuse of antibiotics increases the risk of side effects and microbial resistance and leads to rising healthcare costs. Acute otitis media (AOM) is the leading cause of antibiotic prescription amongst children. However, recommendations differ regarding the duration of therapy. This systematic review compared short-course versus long-course antibiotic therapy on treatment outcomes of children with AOM and examined further implications of different treatment durations. To evaluate clinical efficacy, we performed systematic searches in MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL (until 5 February 2024), searched trial registries and screened reference lists of systematic reviews including health technology assessment (HTA) reports. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing short-course and long-course antibiotic therapies in children with AOM were included. Non-inferiority was assumed for differences of less than 10%. Twelve RCTs investigating different antibiotic agents with a total of 3 409 children were included - mostly conducted before the year 2000 and mostly with a high risk of bias. No comparisons of short-course and long-course antibiotic therapies met the criteria for non-inferiority for treatment success; five studies even showed statistically significantly worse results with a shorter duration of therapy. Due to high statistical uncertainty, no statistically significant difference but also no non-inferiority could be demonstrated for relapse, mortality, or side effects. Poorer efficacy of shorter treatment durations may lead to higher costs for the healthcare system.
conclusionIt cannot generally be assumed that a shorter antibiotic therapy leads to equivalent treatment results in children with AOM. However, new high-quality RCTs investigating treatment duration of commonly used antibiotics are highly needed. Shorter therapies offer economic benefits only when they are clinically as effective as longer ones. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42024519113). WHAT IS KNOWN: • Shorter antibiotic courses are recommended to reduce adverse effects, antimicrobial resistance, and costs. • For acute otitis media (AOM), a leading cause for antibiotic prescription in children, the optimal treatment duration remains controversial. WHAT IS NEW: • This systematic review, including data from twelve RCTs, found no evidence of non-inferiority for shorter antibiotic therapies in pediatric AOM. Some studies for some antibiotic agents even showed poorer outcomes of shorter treatment durations. If not equally effective, shorter treatment may also increase costs for the healthcare system. • Additional high-quality RCTs investigating commonly prescribed antibiotic substances like amoxicillin are needed.
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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.