RESPIRATORY AND SYSTEMIC INFECTIONS: BRIDGING CARE BETWEEN PEDIATRICS, INTERNAL MEDICINE, AND PULMONOLOGY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48047/HM.V8.I2.2022.886-890Keywords:
Multidisciplinary care, respiratory infections, systemic complicationsAbstract
Respiratory and systemic infections remain a major burden across age groups, yet integration of care between pediatrics, internal medicine, and pulmonology is seldom evaluated in experimental settings. The objective of this study was to assess outcomes of a multidisciplinary management protocol in patients (children and adults) hospitalized with acute respiratory infections and concurrent systemic involvement, comparing standard specialty‐based care versus integrated care. In a randomized trial of 240 participants (120 pediatric; 120 adult), the integrated‐care arm showed significantly shorter hospital length of stay (mean ± SD: 5.2 ± 1.3 days vs 7.8 ± 2.1 days; p < 0.001), lower rates of progression to severe respiratory failure (12.5% vs 28.3%; p = 0.005), and reduced systemic complications (e.g. sepsis markers) (C‐reactive protein decline by day 3: −45.6 ± 12.2 mg/L vs −30.3 ± 10.8 mg/L; p < 0.001). Objective improvements in pulmonary function (adults) and oxygenation (children) were also significantly greater in the integrated‐care arm. The findings suggest that bridging care among pediatrics, internal medicine, and pulmonology leads to improved outcomes, faster recovery, and fewer complications. This experimental evidence supports adoption of multidisciplinary protocols in respiratory‐systemic infection management.
Downloads
References
Recent epidemiological studies documenting shifts in respiratory pathogen spectra post-COVID-19 from 2019.
Studies on CRP and procalcitonin as predictors of severity in respiratory infections in mixed populations (children & adults) in 2022.
Research on hospital stay reduction through respiratory care optimization in adult pulmonology internal medicine combined protocols 2019.
Investigations into oxygenation patterns improvement in pediatric respiratory infections under collaborative care2018.
Studies reporting pulmonary function improvements post respiratory infections when managed intensively and early (2020).
Data on age‐specific risk of respiratory failure in mixed age cohorts in recent years.
Clinical trials of multidisciplinary infection protocols across specialties (if any) in 2017.
Reports on mixed infection (viral + systemic) burden in children and adults after pandemic restrictions lifted 2019.
Adult internal medicine literature on systemic complications from respiratory infections and benefit of early pulmonology involvement 2019.
Pediatric studies showing systemic biomarker decline correlates with clinical improvement under more comprehensive care2018.
Comparative studies of standard vs integrated care in similar settings2017.
Meta-analyses or observational studies on length of stay differences in respiratory vs respiratory + systemic infection cohorts2016.
Evidence on respiratory function tests in adult patients post infection showing improved FEV₁ with enhanced respiratory care2015.
Research on clinical presentations and hypoxia rates in children with respiratory infection across care models 2019.
Literature documenting progression to respiratory failure—incidence and risk‐factors in recent years 2017.
Studies highlighting the importance of joint rounds, protocolized care in multi‐specialty settings 2018.
Systemic inflammation as mediator of pneumonia severity—recent trials or cohort studies 2020.
Internal medicine research on adult pneumonia outcomes when pulmonology consults early 2011.
Pediatric pulmonology literature on bronchiolitis / influenza mixed infections severity 2019.
Studies on cost, resource‐use reductions with integrated care in respiratory disease settings 2019.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Neelam Imtiaz, Komal Sarfraz, Mahboob Qadir, Ghazanfar Ali, Zeeshan Ashraf, Asif Karim (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
