Clinical outcomes determinants among Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Paediatric patients admitted to tertiary hospital UAE

Pharmacy Practice

  • Riham Mohamed Elshafie1Pharmacy Practice Department, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia., 2Clinical Pharmacy Department, ASUSH, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
  • Syed Wasif Gillani3College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, P.O. Box 4184, United Arab Emirates.
  • Hassaan A. Rathore4College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, 2713, Qatar.

Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 1-11

DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2026.2.3535

Abstract

Background: Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) represents one of the most important causes of paediatric admissions and deaths globally, with an exceptionally high impact, particularly on children under the age of five years of age. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical manifestations, severity scores and outcomes of paediatric patients with CAP and evaluate the usability of the PIRO score as an indicator of outcomes. Methods: This observational retrospective cohort study involved 177 confirmed paediatric CAP patients admitted from 1/1/2021 to 31/12/2023. Data on sociodemographic status and clinical characteristics were obtained, and results were stratified according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Among the clinical outcomes, 53 children (72%) and 35 infants (21.3%) were discharged with no complications, while 51 children (49.5%), 18 infants (31.7%) and 2 neonates (9.7%), were discharged with antibiotics. The clinical outcome data in relation to the PIRO score shows a significant association between illness severity and patient outcomes (p < 0.001). Among patients with a low PIRO score (n=175), 40.5% (71 patients) were discharged with antibiotics, 50.8% (89 patients) were discharged with no complications, and 6.2% (11 patients) were discharged with minor complications. Only 2.5% (4 patients) with low PIRO scores required transfer to the NICU/ICU, and there were no deaths reported in this group. Conclusion: The PIRO score was found to have internal construct validity in predicting illness severity and clinical outcomes. Patients with significant PIRO scores had significantly longer hospital durations, more frequent ICU transfers and more complications.

Keywords

  • Infectious Disease
  • Clinical outcomes
  • Antibiotic Outcomes
  • paediatric patients
Pharmacy Practice

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