High Variability in Management of Fever in Young Infants

Because of an elevated risk for serious bacterial infection, febrile young infants often undergo diagnostic testing of the urine, blood, and cerebral spinal fluid to rule out infection. Although practice guidelines exist, variable approaches to testing and managing these patients have been documented.

Using a national administrative database, researchers retrospectively assessed variation in care of >35,000 febrile infants aged <90 days who were evaluated in 37 children's hospital emergency departments between 2011 and 2013. Results were analyzed across three age groups (≤28 days, 29–56 days, and 57–89 days).

Overall, younger infants were more likely to undergo urine, blood, and cerebral spinal fluid testing (age ≤28 days, 72%; 29–56 days, 49…