COMMUNITY PNEUMONIAS: IMPROVING ITS TREATMENT BOTH ON THE TERRITORY AND IN HOSPITAL USING A COMMON PROTOCOL

Key words: Community acquired-bronchopneumonias, Guidelines, Family paediatrician, Hospital paediatrician

The present treatment of community acquiredbronchopneumonias is rarely consistent to the international guidelines. The hospital records of 58 children and the clinical sheets of 52 cases treated at home during a period of 6 months have been reviewed. The guidelines of Cincinnati Children Hospital Medical Center and of the British Thoracic Society have been presented to and discussed among the family and hospital paediatricians involved and the deviations of the behaviour with respect to the relative indications have been evaluated (excessive utilization of control radiography, excessive and improper first choice of a macrolide and of cefalosphorines rather than of amoxicilline, excessive use of intramuscular administration). Finally, 135 medical records of hospitalized children and 65 of children treated at home have been evaluated in the following 6 months: very significant improvements have been recorded upon the management of these patients.