SCOUT-CAP Study

STUDY BASICS

Has your child, aged 6 months to 5 years, been diagnosed with pneumonia? If so, your child may be eligible to participate in a research study to help find out if young children can be effectively treated with 5 days of antibiotics instead of 10 days. Compensation provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

Pneumonia is a common lung infection in children. Typical treatment for childhood pneumonia is 10 days of antibiotics, but some research suggests that five days of antibiotics may be effective. Reducing antibiotic duration may result in fewer side effects and a lower chance that bacteria will become resistant to antibiotics. The purpose of this study is to find out if children can be effectively treated for pneumonia with five days of antibiotics instead of 10 days. Researchers hope their findings will lead to a reduced antibiotic exposure in young children in the future.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD?

• Children ages 6 months to 5 years old
• Diagnosed with pneumonia
• Prescribed antibiotics by primary care physician
• Starting to feel better, including no longer having a fever by day 4 or 5
• Has never had to spend the night in the hospital because of pneumonia
• Was not diagnosed with another case of pneumonia in the past 6 months

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Your child will be treated by their doctor for the first five days. If you decide to enroll in the study, your child will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to receive either antibiotics or placebo for days 6-10. The placebo looks and tastes like antibiotics but does not contain any medication. After treatment is finished, children will have two additional visits. Study visits and locations are flexible. Home visits can be arranged if necessary.