Management of bronchiolitis in the emergency department: impact of evidence-based guidelines?

Objective: Recent practice guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend limiting use of bronchodilators, corticosteroids, antibiotics, and diagnostic testing for patients with bronchiolitis. We sought to determine the association of the evidence-based guidelines with bronchiolitis care in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: We analyzed data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative sample of ED visits.