Version 1
: Received: 26 July 2024 / Approved: 29 July 2024 / Online: 29 July 2024 (10:05:30 CEST)
How to cite:
Du Toit, J.; Romano, F.; Rees, C. A.; Gravel, C. A.; Neuman, M.; Keitel, K. Determining by Consensus Lung Ultrasound Guidelines for the Management of Paediatric Pneumonia—Protocol for a Modified Delphi Survey. Preprints2024, 2024072278. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2278.v1
Du Toit, J.; Romano, F.; Rees, C. A.; Gravel, C. A.; Neuman, M.; Keitel, K. Determining by Consensus Lung Ultrasound Guidelines for the Management of Paediatric Pneumonia—Protocol for a Modified Delphi Survey. Preprints 2024, 2024072278. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2278.v1
Du Toit, J.; Romano, F.; Rees, C. A.; Gravel, C. A.; Neuman, M.; Keitel, K. Determining by Consensus Lung Ultrasound Guidelines for the Management of Paediatric Pneumonia—Protocol for a Modified Delphi Survey. Preprints2024, 2024072278. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2278.v1
APA Style
Du Toit, J., Romano, F., Rees, C. A., Gravel, C. A., Neuman, M., & Keitel, K. (2024). Determining by Consensus Lung Ultrasound Guidelines for the Management of Paediatric Pneumonia—Protocol for a Modified Delphi Survey. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2278.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Du Toit, J., Mark Neuman and Kristina Keitel. 2024 "Determining by Consensus Lung Ultrasound Guidelines for the Management of Paediatric Pneumonia—Protocol for a Modified Delphi Survey" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2278.v1
Abstract
Introduction: Lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, are one of the leading causes of child mortality, especially in low-resource settings. Current guidelines rely on clinical signs for diagnosis, leading to over-prescription of antibiotics, which in turn contribute to antimicrobial resistance. Lung point of care ultrasound (L-POCUS) offers potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, but lacks standardized guidelines for diagnosis and management of paediatric pneumonia. Methods and Analysis: This study utilizes a modified Delphi process to develop expert consensus guidelines for L-POCUS interpretation in paediatric pneumonia that would constitute a framework for effective guidelines for judicious antibiotic prescribing. The 5-stage iterative process includes: i) creation of a literature summary and conceptual framework, ii) first round of online surveys for expert feedback, iii) virtual meetings to discuss survey results and refine guidelines, iv) second round of online surveys, v) final analysis and development of consensus guidelines. A panel of 12-15 experts, chosen for their paediatric POCUS experience, geographic diversity, and gender balance, will participate. Consensus will be defined as ≥75% agreement. Ethics and Dissemination: Participation is voluntary, with consent obtained at the start and the option to withdraw at any time. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Commission of Bern, Switzerland. Findings will be disseminated through open access publication.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
