A landmark study conducted by BUSPH International Health Professor Donald Thea and colleagues from Pakistan and WHO, showing that children with severe pneumonia can be treated as effectively at home as they can be in hospitals, could change the way the illness is managed in developing countries, saving lives and taking pressure off health systems. The research, conducted in Pakistan by researchers from the Center for International Health and Development at BUSPH and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and USAID, is published in the January 4, 2008, edition of The Lancet medical journal. The study involved 2,037 children with severe pneumonia randomly assigned to get either injectable antibiotics in a hospital or antibiotic syrup at home.
The trial was the first to compare the outcomes of hospital treatment of severe pneumonia with treatment at home. The results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of treating pneumonia with oral antibiotics outside of a hospital setting.”This study is especially important for the millions of poor children who, because of distance, cost, or transportation barriers, are unable to receive care in a hospital each year,” said Donald Thea, professor of international health at BUSPH, and corresponding author of the study. “Treating children at home with oral amoxicillin is as safe a treatment as standard intravenous therapy care delivered in-hospital. By treating children at home, we can also prevent exposing them to illnesses associated with hospitalization while simultaneously reducing the burden on overcrowded hospitals.”
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