Shorter versus longer antibiotic therapy for children with acute otitis media: A systematic review

Resumo original em inglês

O que aconteceu

PROSPERO (CRD42024519113).

• Shorter antibiotic courses are recommended to reduce adverse effects, antimicrobial resistance, and costs. • For acute otitis media (AOM), a leading cause for antibiotic prescription in children, the optimal treatment duration remains controversial.

O que encontraram

• This systematic review, including data from twelve RCTs, found no evidence of non-inferiority for shorter antibiotic therapies in pediatric AOM. Some studies for some antibiotic agents even showed poorer outcomes of shorter treatment durations. If not equally effective, shorter treatment may also increase costs for the healthcare system. • Additional high-quality RCTs investigating commonly prescribed antibiotic substances like amoxicillin are needed.

Por que isso importa

It cannot generally be assumed that a shorter antibiotic therapy leads to equivalent treatment results in children with AOM. However, new high-quality RCTs investigating treatment duration of commonly used antibiotics are highly needed. Shorter therapies offer economic benefits only when they are clinically as effective as longer ones.

Resumo publicado sob licença CC BY. A tradução para o português ainda não chegou a este estudo.