Pediatric critical care physicians' attitudes about guidelines for the use of ribavirin in critically ill children with respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the attitude of pediatric critical care physicians concerning the use of ribavirin in children with respiratory syncytial virus lung disease in light of the revised American Academy of Pediatrics practice guidelines.

DESIGN

A questionnaire was sent to 145 pediatric critical care doctors in the United States.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Seventy-seven percent of questionnaires were returned. The vast majority (91%) of the respondents think that the available literature does not support the Academy's recommendations for the administration of ribavirin to critically ill children with respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia. The largest single group of respondents (42%) does not usually prescribe ribavirin for these patients, but may be persuaded to use it by colleagues or consultants in individual cases. Twenty-six percent of all respondents stated that they do not use ribavirin at any time, even in severely ill patients with documented infection. Twenty-two percent of the respondents say that they will prescribe ribavirin, not because they believe it is efficacious, but because they believe the Academy guidelines compel them to do so as a standard of care. The respondents reported adverse effects of the drug, most notably exacerbations of bronchospasm (92%), far more often than the Academy document asserts. When solicited for general comments, the respondents were frequently concerned that critical care physicians were not involved in the development of the guidelines, the guidelines were based on a paucity of reliable data, and that the guidelines could put them at risk of malpractice litigation should they choose to not use ribavirin.

CONCLUSIONS

Practice guidelines are increasingly being incorporated into patient care and quality improvement regimens, and it is imperative both that appropriate experts be included in their development, and that they be based on valid scientific data. The pediatric critical care community currently treats most of the severely ill patients with respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia. As a group, they remain unconvinced about the efficacy and safety of this drug, and many pediatricians are concerned about the ramifications of individualizing ribavirin therapy in their patients in light of the revised Academy recommendations.