Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago announced last week that it has been awarded $12 million to study a new strategy for prescribing antibiotics in young children with mild pneumonia.
In partnership with University of Utah Health, clinicians and researchers at Lurie Children’s will investigate whether an approach known as safety-net antibiotic prescription (SNAP) results in reduced antibiotic use and similar clinical improvement compared with immediate antibiotic use, which is the current standard of care for young children with mild pneumonia. With the SNAP approach, providers don’t give the child an antibiotic unless the child’s symptoms worsen or do not improve within 3 days.
The study will be conducted at Lurie Children’s and three other pediatric emergency departments across the country, as well as 12 pediatric primary care offices and three urgent care centers that are part of the Pediatric Research Consortium at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The funding comes from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
Avoiding unnecessary antibiotics
Co-principal study investigator Todd Florin, MD, of Lurie Children’s and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said the SNAP strategy is currently recommended for children’s ear infections but has not been evaluated in pneumonia.
“Most pneumonias in young children are caused by a virus, which the body fights off without antibiotics,” Florin said in a hospital press release. “Despite this, most children with pneumonia are currently treated with antibiotics. It is important to avoid exposing children to unnecessary antibiotics for many reasons, including their side effects, such as rashes that can mimic allergies or an upset stomach.”
Julia Szymczak, PhD, of University of Utah Health, said the study could generate evidence that will help parents and pediatricians navigate what can be a difficult decision.
“Nobody wants to give unnecessary medicine, but it is scary to care for a child with pneumonia and it’s often unclear whether an antibiotic will help,” she said. “SNAP empowers parents to give their child a chance to fight off the infection on their own while also having fast access to antibiotics if it becomes clear they are needed.” Â
