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Using Prediction Models to Reveal What We Need to Know
George Bergus, MD
Arch Fam Med. 1993;2(8):817-819.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings. |
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THE BEST treatment for a child with acute otitis media (AOM) is unknown despite the high frequency of infection. Acute otitis media is the second most common reason for children to see a physician,1 and it is a rare child who does not have at least one episode in the first 5 years of life.2
Should a child with AOM receive 10 days of antibiotic therapy (my routine therapy), 2 days,3 3 days,4 5 days,5 7 days,3 14 days,6 or no days?7 Antibiotics are probably of some benefit. Although children survived AOM before antibiotics, complications such as mastoiditis were more common than they are today.8 Part of the confusion about therapy stems from the self-limited nature of many episodes, episodes that would resolve uneventfully using snake oil.
Because the optimal therapy for different children is unknown, children are treated uniformly, ie, antibiotics
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
Author Affiliations
University of Iowa Iowa City
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