Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Diagnosis and Management in the Emergency Department (Pharmacology CME and Infectious Disease CME)

Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Diagnosis and Management in the Emergency Department (Pharmacology CME and Infectious Disease CME) is organized by EB Medicine.

Date of Original Release: April 1, 2019
Date of most recent review:  March 15, 2019
Termination date: April 1, 2022.
CME Expiration Date: May 1, 2022

Target Audience:
This enduring material is designed for emergency medicine physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and residents.

CME Credits:
4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, 4 ACEP Category I Credits, 4 AAFP Prescribed Credits, 4 AOA Category 2-A or 2-B Credits. 

Specialty CME Credits: Included as part of the 4 credits, this CME activity is eligible for 2 Pharmacology CME credits

About this Issue:
A significant challenge in the management of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia is identifying children who are more likely to have bacterial pneumonia and will benefit from antibiotic therapy while avoiding unnecessary testing and treatment in children who have viral pneumonia. This issue offers guidance for obtaining historical information and interpreting physical examination findings, discusses the utility of various diagnostic studies, and provides recommendations for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia and associated complications. You will learn:

• Common viral and bacterial etiologies of community-acquired pneumonia
• Key historical information and physical examination findings that can help differentiate viral and bacterial causes of pneumonia
• When diagnostic studies are indicated, and which studies are recommended
• Which patients should receive antibiotics, and which should be discharged home with return precautions and appropriate follow-up
• Recommendations for outpatient and inpatient empiric antibiotic regimens
• Appropriate management of complications, including pleural effusion/empyema

Goals: 
Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to: 
• demonstrate medical decision-making based on the strongest clinical evidence; 
• cost-effectively diagnose and treat the most critical presentations; and 
• describe the most common medicolegal pitfalls for each topic covered.

CME Objectives:
Upon completion of this article, you should be able to:
• Discuss the most common causes of pneumonia in young children
• Recognize the most common presenting signs/symptoms of pneumonia
• Apply evidence for the appropriate clinical and pharmacologic treatment of complex pneumonias.