Short Versus Standard of Care Antibiotic Duration for Hospitalized Children With Uncomplicated Community-acquired Pneumonia: a Non-inferiority, Randomized Controlled Trial.
The goal of this open label, randomized, non-inferiority clinical trial is to compare the treatment success of a 5 day antibiotic course versus a standard antibiotic course (usually 7-14 days of antibiotics) in hospitalized children aged 3 months to 18 years, with uncomplicated community acquired pneumonia. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does a 5 day course work as well as standard (longer) courses of antibiotics for treating community acquired pneumonia in children? * Does a 5 day course cause less antibiotic side effects compared to a standard (longer) course of antibiotics in children with community acquired pneumonia? Participants will * be randomly assigned to either receive 5 total days or a total duration decided by the treating physician * receive a brief follow up questionnaire regarding clinical symptoms, follow up care/antibiotics, and side effects via phone or email at days 5 and 14 from the start of antibiotics Researchers will compare the experimental group (receiving 5 days duration) with the control group (standard duration) to see if 5 days is as successful as a standard duration.
• Children aged 3 months to \<18 years old
• Hospitalized in either the acute care or the pediatric intensive care units
• Clinically diagnosed with uncomplicated bacterial community acquired pneumonia (as determined by the treating physician)
• Radiological findings suggestive of pneumonia (such as consolidation, lobar or interstitial infiltrates)
• Achieved clinical stability within 72 hours from the first antibiotic dose (clinical stability includes being off supplemental oxygen/ventilatory support and temperature remaining \< 38 Celsius).