Doctors at ERs often Skip Diagnostics test for fever in kids
According to a new study, the babies and toddlers who come at the ER with high fever which has inexplicable reasons often do not receive any kind of diagnostic test to reach to the source of the high temperature. The researchers say that they are not sure whether this is a positive or a negative aspect. During the study, it was found that in some cases the ER doctors prescribed antibiotics to the patients without even testing to confirm whether the child has a bacterial infection or not. Administration of antibiotics in such a case can also lead to antibiotic overuse. Infants and children who are below three years of age often suffer from fever that has no defined causes. According to the estimates these fevers account for almost 25% of the visits to ER by young children.
In infants and babies fever is considered to be a sign of quite dangerous bacterial infection. Dr. Alan E. Simon, who is a researcher at the National Center for Health Statistics and who also led the study said that the doctors have debated since long that how unexplained fevers in young children can be best manages. Nowadays babies are given pneumococcal and Hib (Haemophilus influenza type B) vaccines therefore chances of developing a very serious bacterial infection like a blood infection are very low. So, some experts say that a blood test is quite unnecessary in children who have got vaccines. These experts say that on the other hand, a urine test for the much common cause of fever i.e. urinary tract infections (UTI) might be better. This study is first of its kind because till date no study has looked into at what is the actual scene in US ERs. Simon’s team examined records from a sample of ERs taken up nationally from the year 2006 and 2009.
In the study it was found that in 59% of the cases where children between the ages of 3 months to three years had a fever with unknown causes, doctors did not order any diagnostic test. Girls are considered to be at a higher risk of developing urinary infections. Even in their case urine tests were ordered only in 40% of the cases. The overall data revealed that urine tests were conducted in 17% cases and blood tests were conducted in 20% of the cases. Simon, while talking to Reuters Health said, “Clinical judgment always comes into it”.
