Reviews in Progress


Following is a list of the progress of all currently active review questions. If you are interested in carrying out a review yourself, please consult the contact page.

Status:

P = Primary Reviewer
S= Secondary Reviewer

Triage and emergency conditions

  • What is the evidence behind giving a blood transfusion in the treatment of shock? P
  • What are the optimal routes of benzodiazepines administration for convulsions (rectal, sublingual or nasal)?P

    Diagnostic approach to the sick child

  • What is the precision of clinical signs to detect hypoxaemia? P
  • What clinical signs best identify severe illness in young infants? S
  • What is the validity of collecting urine by non-invasive means for the detection of urinary tract infection in infants? P

    Problems of the neonate and young infant

  • What are the prognostic indicators in birth asphyxia? P
  • What is the appropriate non-surgical management of NEC? P
  • What is the evidence for the use of sucrose for pain relief for procedural pain in neonates? P
  • Is aminophylline useful in the prevention of apnoea of prematurity? P
  • What clinical signs suggest levels of hyperbilirubinaemia that require phototherapy? P
  • Evidence for the use of adjuncts in the treatment of hyperbilirubinaemia? P
  • Is ceftriaxone more effective than other antibiotics in ophthalmia neonatorum ? P
  • What is the appropriate management of the infant whose mother has tuberculosis? P
  • What is the evidence for kangaroo mother care of the VLBW baby? S
  • Evidence for the use of nystatin prophylaxis in neonates on antibiotics? P
  • What is the most appropriate anticonvulsant therapy in neonates and young infants? P
  • When should phototherapy be commenced in hyperbilirubinaemia? P
  • What clinical signs suggest levels of hyperbilirubinaemia that require phototherapy? P

    Cough or difficulty breathing

  • Is oral salbutamol efficacious in the management of acute asthma? P
  • What is the relative efficacy of inhaled versus intravenous salbutamol in moderate and severe acute asthma? P
  • How common is hypoxaemia in neonates, children and adults in developing countries P
  • What is the role of bronchodilators in infants presenting with wheeze? P
  • What is the aetiology of pneumonia in 0-5yo? P
  • What is the most appropriate empirical therapy for severe pneumonia in children aged 0-2 months ? P
  • What clinical criteria identify treatment failure in pneumonia? P
  • When are antibiotics indicated in bronchiolitis? P
  • What adjuvant therapies are effective in severe acute asthma? P
  • What is the role of corticosteroids in laryngotracheobronchitis (croup)? P
  • What are the appropriate treatments for croup? What are the appropriate treatments for measles croup? P
  • What is the most appropriate non antibiotic management for pleural effusion or empyema? P
  • What is the diagnostic precision of gastric aspirates for tuberculosis in children? P
  • What is the optimal duration of treatment in non-disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis in children? P
  • What are the major antituberculous drug toxicities in children? S
  • What are the drug interactions between antituberculous (rifampicin / INH) and antiretrovirals (Nevirapine / EFV)? P
  • What is the evidence that BCG vaccination should not be used in HIV infected children? S
  • What is the optimal duration of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV positive children? P
  • What are the objective outcomes of treatment success of pulmonary tuberculosis in children? P
  • What is the evidence DOTS is an effective treatment strategy for children? P
  • What is the utility of gamma interferon assays in diagnosing TB in children? P

    Diarrhoea

  • What is the evidence to support continuing oral feeding / breastfeeding in acute infectious diarrhoea? P
  • What are the best clinical indicators of dehydration in the child with diarrhoea? S
  • What is the aetiology of persistent diarrhea in children who are HIV negative? P
  • What role do antidiarrhoeals have in persistent diarrhea? P
  • What role do antidiarrhoeals have in acute gastroenteritis? P
  • What antibiotics are appropriate in acute dysentery? P
  • what is the most appropiate antibiotic for the treatment of cholera in children P
  • What is the most appropriate treatment for Amoebiasis? P
  • In children with diarrhoea and dehydration without shock, is rehydration using a nasogastric tube as effective as intravenous fluid? P
  • Is reduced osmolarity ORS more effective than standard ORS in acute infectious diarrhoea? P
  • What are the most appropriate feeding regimes for children with persistent diarrhoea? P
  • Fever

  • What are the appropriate antibiotics to treat in typhoid fever? S
  • What is the most appropriate empiric therapy in acute osteomyelitis? P
  • When should antibiotics be started in AOM? What is the most appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy in AOM? P
  • What are appropriate antibiotics for acute mastoiditis? P
  • What is the most appropriate management of bleeding in dengue haemorrhagic fever? P
  • What is the management of the chronically discharging ear? S
  • What is the role of ultrasound in children after their first UTI? P
  • What is the utility of rapid reagent strips in the diagnosis of meningitis?P
  • What is the most appropriate duration of therapy needed in bacterial meningitis? S
  • Is dexamethasone effective in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis? P
  • Is dexamethasone effective in the treatment of bacterial meningitis? S
  • Is dexamethasone effective in the treatment of tuberculous meningitis? P
  • What is the most appropriate treatment of convulsions in meningitis? S
  • What is the most appropriate antimicrobial treatment of tuberculous meningitis?  S
  • What is the evidence that BCG prevents disseminated tuberculosis in children? P
  • What is the evidence that an infant dose of BCG prevents tuberculosis as late as adolescence? P
  • What is the most appropriate antimicrobial therapy in asymptomatic children with a strongly positive Mantoux? S
  • What is the evidence DOTS is an effective eradication strategy for TB within a community? P
  • What are the treatment options for MDR TB in children? P
  • What is the effectiveness of a "family orientated approach" to contact tracing? P
  • Severe malnutrition

  • What is the evidence that use of standardized WHO treatment of severe malnutrition lowers mortality? P
  • What is the evidence for giving broad-spectrum antibiotics empirically in severe malnutrition? S
  • What is the evidence for potassium and magnesium supplementation in severe malnutrition? P
  • Should mebendazole be used empirically in children with malnutrition? P

    Children with HIV/AIDS

  • What are the best clinical signs for diagnosis of lymphoid interstitial pneumonia? P
  • What is the evidence for using steroids in lymphoid interstitial pneumonia in HIV positive children? P
  • What is the most appropriate first-line treatment for severe pneumonia in HIV-positive children? P
  • What is the optimal treatment for PCP? P
  • What is the role of HIV antibody testing in infants and young children? P
  • Is chest xray useful in diagnosing tuberculosis in HIV positive children? P
  • What is the role of HIV antigen testing in infants and young children? P
  • What immunisations should be given to HIV-positive infants? P
  • What immunisations are appropriate for children with symptomatic HIV/AIDS? P
  • Which HIV-positive children should receive cotrimoxazole prophylaxis? P
  • What is the evidence for isoniazid prophylaxis in HIV infected children? P
  • What is the most appropriate treatment for oral candidiasis in HIV positive children? P
  • What is the most appropriate testing for HIV under conditions of zidovudine prophylaxis? P
  • What is the most effective ARV regime in children? P
  • In terms of ARV therapy, what are the predictors of clinical response to treatment and treatment failure? P
  • In terms of ARV therapy, what are the immunological predictors of response to treatment and treatment failure? P
  • What is the risk of antiretroviral resistance developing in children who develop HIV after exposure to antiretrovirals as preventative treatment in utero or soon after birth?P
  • What are the adverse effects of ARV drugs in children? P
  • What is the optimal chemoprophylaxis for tuberculosis in HIV positive children? P
  • What is the evidence for the effectiveness of antiretroviral agents in asymptomatic HIV-infection in infants in developing countries? P
  • What  are the clinical indicators of HIV infection in children? S
  • What pathogens cause chronic diarrhea in children with HIV, and what is the optimal antimicrobial treatment? S
  • What is the utility of mantoux testing in HIV positive children? P
  • What Mantoux (PPD) reaction indicates tuberculous infection in HIV positive children? In HIV negative children? P
  • What is the management of Kaposi Sarcoma in children? P
  • What is the most appropriate antifungal therapy for acute cryptococcal meningitis in HIV? P
  • What is the most appropriate maintenance antimicrobial therapy in cryptococcal meningitis in HIV? P
  • What is the role of opioids in palliative care for children with HIV? P

    Common Surgical problems


  • What are appropriate dressings for burns in children in developing countries? P
  • What are the indications for surgery in necrotising enterocolitis P
  • What are the clinical indicators of intussusception? P
  • What is the optimal duration of fasting prior to surgery in infants and children over one year of age? P
  • In bowel-related sepsis what are the most appropriate empiric antibiotics? P
  • What are the indications for surgery in typhoid fever? P
  • What is the role of prophylactic antibiotics in the management of burns? P
  • What is the role of topical antibiotics and antiseptics in the management of burns? P
  •  

    Supportive care

  • What is the value of using monitoring charts in improving quality of hospital care? P
  • What is the evidence for using structured critical care pathways for improving the quality of hospital care in developing countries? P
  • what is the most appropriate pre-operative fluid in pyloric stenosis? P
  • What is the evidence for playtherapy in illness recovery in hospitalised children in developing countries? P
  • What are the appropriate musculoskeletal indications for physiotherapy in hospitalised children in developing countries? P
  • What are the effective non-pharmacological methods of pain control in hospitalised children? P
  • What is the evidence for using paracetamol as an antipyretic agent in children with high fever? P
  • What is the evidence for the effectiveness of nasal prongs, nasal catheters and nasopharyngeal catheters for delivering oxygen, compared with other methods? P
  • What is the efficacy and safety of NG feeding in children with respiratory distress? P

    Miscellaneous

  • What is the evidence behind hand washing in the prevention of nosocomial infection? P
  • What is the best treatment for Burkitt's lymphoma in a resource poor setting? P
  • What is the evidence for emetic agents in the management of poisoning? P
  • Are adjuvant therapies such as steroids, beta-2 agonists and theophylline efficacious in pertussis? P


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