Sepsis and meningitis in hospitalized children: performance of clinical signs and their prediction rules in a case-control study.

Objective: Feverish illness is a common presentation to acute pediatric services. Clinical staff faces the challenge of differentiating the few children with meningitis or sepsis from the majority with self-limiting illness. We aimed to determine the diagnostic value of clinical features and their prediction rules (CPR) for identifying children with sepsis or meningitis among those children admitted to a District General Hospital with acute febrile illness.

Risk score to stratify children with suspected serious bacterial infection: observational cohort study.

Objectives: To derive and validate a clinical score to risk stratify children presenting with acute infection.

Study Design And Participants: Observational cohort study of children presenting with suspected infection to an emergency department in England. Detailed data were collected prospectively on presenting clinical features, laboratory investigations and outcome.

Evaluation of temperature-pulse centile charts in identifying serious bacterial illness: observational cohort study.

Background: Distinguishing serious bacterial infection (SBI) from milder/self-limiting infections is often difficult. Interpretation of vital signs is confounded by the effect of temperature on pulse and respiratory rate. Temperature-pulse centile charts have been proposed to improve the predictive value of pulse rate in the clinical assessment of children with suspected SBI.

An evidence-based guideline for children presenting with acute breathing difficulty.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop an evidence-based guideline for use primarily by junior clinicians to assist with the management of children presenting to the hospital with an acute breathing difficulty.

Methods: An overview of the literature provided a framework of clinical questions for the management of a child with an acute breathing difficulty on which to base a systematic literature review. Relevant articles were appraised by the research fellow and graded according to their quality.