Community-acquired pneumonia. Update

We present a protocol for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children and adolescents in order to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of this clinical entity in the field of Primary Health Care. It presents the current knowledge available to optimize the diagnostic tests' performance, therapeutic recommendations for the rational use of antibiotics, preventive measures, patient monitoring and the evaluation of hospital referral criteria.

This protocol has been developed recently after reviewing the literature. Evidence-based medicine criteria are applied. It is part of the protocols made and updated by the Primary Care Spanish Paediatrics Association's (AEPap) Airway Group (Grupo de Vías Respiratorias). Its contents can be downloaded from the following addresses: www.aepap.org/gvr/, www.respirar.org/. This document should only be considered as a quick and short action guide for CAP on Primary Health Care paediatric consultation, considering the key points in each section.