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AAP Grand Rounds 3:31-32 (2000) ParentsValuation of the Outcomes of Occult BacteremiaSource: Bennett JE, Sumner W, Downs SM, Jaffe DM. Parents utilities for outcomes of occult bacteremia. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:4348.
There is tremendous variation in the management of the well-appearing, febrile child without an apparent source of infection. Practice ranges from observation and follow-up to blood tests and empiric antibiotic therapy. This difference in management may reflect variations among physicians and patients in the value placed upon potential outcomes. Bennett et al sought to describe parents values for potential outcomes of occult bacteremia by using utility assessment, a quantitative method that incorporates risk preference. A convenience sample of parents of children 336 months old (no demographic information provided) presenting to an urban childrens hospital ED were asked to rank from best to worst (using a visual analogue scale) 8 potential outcomes of various treatment strategies for the management of occult bacteremia. The outcomes ranked were: blood drawing, localized infection, hospitalization for antibiotics, meningitis with recovery, meningitis resulting in deafness, minor brain damage, severe brain damage,
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