Acute assessment of unwell child

Summary of changes

Following feedback on 7th edition of the Standard Treatment Manual (2017), the RPHCM Editorial Committee endorsed the addition of gateway protocols for Acute Assessment protocols to direct health care professionals in early assessment of criticality and differential diagnosis.

Content from the 7th edition protocol “Babies under 2 months who are sick or have a fever” has been integrated into this protocol with assessment extended to include children up to 5 years of age and the addition of clinical observations and differential diagnoses. 

Primary references

1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2021) Fever in under 5s: assessment and initial management [NG143], NICE Clinical Guidelines, accessed 28 April 2022.