Assessment of a new algorithm in the management of acute respiratory tract infections in children

Objectives: to assess the practicability of a new algorithm in decreasing the rate of incorrect diagnoses and inappropriate antibiotic usage in pediatric acute respiratory tract infection (arti). materials and methods: children between 1 month to15 years brought to outpatient clinics of a children’s hospital with acute respiratory symptoms were managed according to the steps recommended in the algorithm. results: upper respiratory tract infection, lower respiratory tract infection, and undifferentiated arti accounted for 82%, 14.5%, and 3.5% of 1 209 cases, respectively. antibiotics were prescribed in 33%; for: common cold, 4.1%; sinusitis, 85.7%; otitis media, 96.9%; pharyngotonsillitis, 63.3%; croup, 6.5%; bronchitis, 15.6%; pertussis-like syndrome, 82.1%; bronchiolitis, 4.1%; and pneumonia, 50%. conclusion: implementation of the artis algorithm is practicable and can help to reduce diagnostic errors and rate of antibiotic prescription in children with artis.