Background: Influenza is a commonly encountered respiratory tract infection and diagnosis remains to be a challenge. Use of a rapid antigen test may influence decisions on treatment in the emergency room (ER). Objectives: This research aims to determine the effects of rapid influenza antigen test (RIAT) on antimicrobial management of influenza-like illness (ILI) in the ER, determine the clinical profile of pediatric patients with ILI and look into the relationship between RIAT result, symptomatology, and immunization status. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which involved review of charts of 195 pediatric patients with ILI who underwent RIAT (KlintecTM) through a nasopharyngeal swab in the ER of a tertiary hospital from September 2019 to February 2020. Chi-square, Fischer exact test and likelihood ratio were used for data analysis. Results: Most pediatric patients were 7–12 years old males. Majority presented with fever, cough, and colds and underwent RIAT at 2–4 days from onset of illness. About 73.33% of study participants did not receive their yearly influenza vaccine and 70.7% of patients with positive RIAT had no influenza vaccine. There is a lower percentage of vaccinated children who developed cough (86.5% vs. 89.5%) and colds (80.8% vs. 83.2%) when compared with unvaccinated children. RIAT result significantly affected management in terms of antimicrobial prescribing to patients with ILI. Conclusion Influenza presents with non-specific symptoms and vaccination remains a major preventive measure against the disease. The result of RIAT facilitates targeted treatment for influenza and decreases unnecessary antibacterial use, but this should be done with careful thought and interpretation.
Influenza, Human