S Sanders

Ms S Sanders, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; s.sanders@uq.edu.au

QUESTION

What is the diagnostic accuracy of C-reactive protein (CRP) for bacterial infections in children with fever?

REVIEW SCOPE

Included studies compared blood or serum CRP with a reference standard for microbiological diagnosis of bacterial v non-bacterial infection or serious bacterial v benign bacterial or non-bacterial infection in children initially presenting with fever. Excluded were studies involving >10% neonates, children admitted to hospital outside of the emergency department (ED) or with a specific medical condition (eg, cancer or renal failure), or in which the reference standard was diagnosis of a specific disease (eg, meningitis, gastroenteritis, or arthritis). Outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratio.

REVIEW METHODS

Medline and EMBASE/Excerpta Medica …