title: Assessment of a new algorithm in the management of acute respiratory tract infections in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the practicability of a new algorithm in decreasing the rate of incorrect diagnoses and inappropriate antibiotic usage in pediatric Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (ARTI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Children between 1 month to15 years brought to outpatient clinics of a children's hospital with acute respiratory symptoms were managed according to the steps recommended in the algorithm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, Lower Respiratory Tract Infection, and undifferentiated ARTI accounted for 82%, 14.5%, and 3.5% of 1 209 cases, respectively. Antibiotics were prescribed in 33%; for: Common cold, 4.1%; Sinusitis, 85.7%; Otitis media, 96.9%; Pharyngotonsillitis, 63.3%; Croup, 6.5%; Bronchitis, 15.6%; Pertussis-like syndrome, 82.1%; Bronchiolitis, 4.1%; and Pneumonia, 50%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implementation of the ARTIs algorithm is practicable and can help to reduce diagnostic errors and rate of antibiotic prescription in children with ARTIs.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Mofid Children Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Ahmad
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tabatabaei
authors.forename: Seyed Alireza
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Fahimzad
authors.forename: Ahmad Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Shamshiri
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shiva
authors.forename: Shadab
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salehpor
authors.forename: Shirin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sayyahfar
authors.forename: Ghamartag
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Khanbabaei
authors.forename: Shahnaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Armin
authors.forename: Sedigheh Rafil
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Tabatabaei
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khatami
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadivar