The TARGET cohort study protocol: A prospective primary care cohort study to derive and validate a clinical prediction rule to improve the targeting of antibiotics in children with respiratory tract illnesses

Redmond, Niamh M.; Blair, Peter S.; Lovering, Andrew M.; Leeming, John P.; Peters, Tim J.; Hay, Alastair D.; Redmond, Niamh M; Blair, Peter S; Lovering, Andrew M; Leeming, John P; Davies, Rachel; Christensen, Hannah; Muir, Peter; Vipond, Barry; Peters, Tim J; Thornton, Hannah; Hay, Alastair D; Fletcher, Margaret; Delaney, Brendan; Little, Paul; Thompson, Matthew

Abstract

Background: Children with respiratory tract infections are the single most frequent patient group to make use of primary care health care resources. The use of antibiotics remains highly prevalent in young children, but can lead to antimicrobial resistance as well as reinforcing the idea that parents should re-consult for similar symptoms. One of the main drivers of indiscriminate antimicrobial use is the lack of evidence for, and therefore uncertainty regarding, which children are at risk of poor outcome. This paper describes the protocol for the TARGET cohort study, which aims to derive and validate a clinical prediction rule to identify children presenting to primary care with respiratory tract infections who are at risk of hospitalisation. Methods/design. The TARGET cohort study is a large, multicentre prospective observational study aiming to recruit 8,300 children aged ≥3 months and

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Aug 20, 2013
• Journal: BMC Health Services Research
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-6963
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 322
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-13-322
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/929047
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-13-322