Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of acute bacterial sinusitis in children aged 1 to 18 years.

Objective: To update the American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice guideline regarding the diagnosis and management of acute bacterial sinusitis in children and adolescents.

Methods: Analysis of the medical literature published since the last version of the guideline (2001).

Results: The diagnosis of acute bacterial sinusitis is made when a child with an acute upper respiratory tract infection (URI) presents with (1) persistent illness (nasal discharge [of any quality] or daytime cough or both lasting more than 10 days without improvement), (2) a worsening course (worsening or new onset of nasal discharge, daytime cough, or fever after initial improvement), or (3) severe onset (concurrent fever[temperature ≥39°C/102.

Interventions aimed at improving immunization rates.

Background: Immunization rates for children and adults are rising, but coverage levels have not reached national goals. As a result of low immunization rates, vaccine-preventable diseases still occur. In an era of increasing complexity of immunization schedules, rising expectations about the performance of primary care, and large demands on primary care physicians, it is important to understand and promote interventions that work in primary care settings to increase immunization coverage.

Effect of patient reminder/recall interventions on immunization rates: A review.

Context: Immunization rates for children and adults remain below national goals. While experts recommend that health care professionals remind patients of needed immunizations, few practitioners actually use reminders. Little is known about the effectiveness of reminders in different settings or patient populations.