Which early 'red flag' symptoms identify children with meningococcal disease in primary care?

British Journal of General Practice

Volumn 61, Issue 584, 2011, Pages

  Haj Hassan, Tanya Ali ^a,b   Thompson, Matthew J ^c,d   Mayon White, Richard T ^c   Ninis, Nelly ^e   Harnden, Anthony ^c   Smith, Lindsay F P ^f   Perera, Rafael ^c   Mant, David C ^c  

^a Global Health Science   (United Kingdom)

^b Primary Health Care ^*  (United Kingdom)

^c UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD   (United Kingdom)

^d OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^e IMPERIAL COLLEGE HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST   (United Kingdom)

^f West Coker Surgery and East Somerset Research Consortium   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Children; Diagnosis; Meningococcal infections; Primary care; Symptoms

Indexed keywords

ADOLESCENT; ARTICLE; CHILD; CHILDHOOD DISEASE; CLINICAL FEATURE; COLD CLAMMY SKIN; CONFUSION; CONTROLLED STUDY; DIAGNOSTIC TEST ACCURACY STUDY; DIAGNOSTIC VALUE; FOOT; GENERAL PRACTICE; GENERAL PRACTITIONER; GROUPS BY AGE; HAND; HEADACHE; HUMAN; INFANT; LEG PAIN; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MENINGOCOCCOSIS; NECK PAIN; OUTCOME ASSESSMENT; PHOTOPHOBIA; POINT OF CARE TESTING; PRESCHOOL CHILD; PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE; RASH; SCHOOL CHILD; SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY; STUDY DESIGN; TELEPHONE; UNITED KINGDOM; COMPARATIVE STUDY; EPIDEMIOLOGY;

ADOLESCENT; CHILD; CHILD, PRESCHOOL; EPIDEMIOLOGIC METHODS; GENERAL PRACTICE; HUMANS; INFANT; MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTIONS;

EID: 79955790895     PISSN: 09601643     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.3399/bjgp11X561131     Document Type: Article

References (18)

1. Thompson MJ, Ninis N, Perera R, et al. Clinical recognition of meningococcal disease in children and adolescents. Lancet 2006;367(9508): 397-403. (Pubitemid 43184259)
2. Van den Bruel A, Bruyninckx R, Vermeire E, et al. Signs and symptoms in children with a serious infection: a qualitative study. BMC Fam Pract 2005; 6: 36.
3. Trotter CL, Andrews NJ, Kaczmarski EB, et al. Effectiveness of meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine 4 years after introduction. Lancet 2004; 364(9431): 365-367. (Pubitemid 38970013)
4. Nadel S, Britto J, Booy R, et al. Avoidable deficiencies in the delivery of health care to children with meningococcal disease. J Accid Emerg Med 1998; 15(5): 298-303.
5. Riordan FA, Thomson AP, Sills JA, Hart CA. Who spots the spots? Diagnosis and treatment of early meningococcal disease in children. BMJ 1996; 313(7067): 1255-1256. (Pubitemid 26382222)
6. Sorensen HT, Moller-Petersen J, Krarup HB, et al. Diagnostic problems withmeningococcal disease in general practice. J Clin Epidemiol 1992;45(11): 1289-1293.
7. Granier S, Owen P, Stott NC. Recognizing meningococcal disease: the case for further research in primary care. Br J Gen Pract 1998; 48(429):1167-1171. (Pubitemid 28172072)
8. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Feverish illness in children - assessment and initial management in children younger than 5 years. London: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 2007.
9. Theilen U, Wilson L, Wilson G, et al. Management of invasive meningococcal disease in children and young people: summary of SIGN guidelines. BMJ 2008; 336(7657): 1367-1370. (Pubitemid 351914628)
10. Ninis N, Phillips C, Bailey L, et al. The role of healthcare delivery in the outcome of meningococcal disease in children: case-control study of fatal and non-fatal cases. BMJ 2005; 330(7506): 1475.
11. Davison KL, Crowcroft NS, Ramsay ME, et al. Enhanced surveillance scheme for suspectedmeningococcal disease in five regional health authorities in England: 1998. Commun Dis Public Health 2002; 5:205-212.
12. Kai J. What worries parents when their preschool children are acutely ill, and why: a qualitative study. BMJ 1996; 313(7063): 983-986. (Pubitemid 26385527)
13. Kallestrup P, Bro F. Parents' beliefs and expectations when presenting with a febrile child at an out-of-hours general practice clinic. Br J Gen Pract 2003; 53(486): 43-44. (Pubitemid 36040603)
14. Ertmann RK, Soderstrom M, Reventlow S. Parents' motivation for seeing a physician. Scand J Prim Health Care 2005; 23(3): 154-158. (Pubitemid 41392433)
15. Houston AM, Pickering AJ. 'Do I don't I call the doctor': a qualitative study of parental perceptions of calling the GP out-of-hours. Health Expect 2000; 3(4): 234-242.
16. Inkelis SH, O'Leary D, Wang VJ, et al. Extremity pain and refusal to walk in children with invasive meningococcal disease. Pediatrics 2002; 110(1 Pt 1): e3.
17. Granier S, Owen P, Pill R, Jacobson L. Recognising meningococcal disease in primary care: qualitative study of how general practitioners process clinical and contextual information. BMJ 1998; 316(7127):276-279. (Pubitemid 28121224)
18. Van den Bruel A, Bartholomeeusen S, Aertgeerts B, et al. Serious infections in children: an incidence study in family practice. BMC Fam Pract 2006; 7: 23.