A children's acute respiratory illness scale (CARIFS) predicted functional severity and family burden

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Clinical Assessment
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Acute respiratory infections are common in children.
• Accurate illness severity assessment is crucial for effective management.
• The Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale (CARIFS) was developed to measure illness severity in pediatric acute respiratory infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of the CARIFS in a European primary care setting.
• To assess the validity and reliability of CARIFS in measuring pediatric illness severity.

Main Methods:

• 178 children with cough and fever were recruited in UK general practice.
• Parents, doctors, and nurses recorded perceived illness severity.
• Parents completed an illness diary including the CARIF scale until recovery.
• In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 parents.

Main Results:

• Parents found CARIFS easy and quick to complete, with high diary completion rates (78%).
• The scale demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.85) and good responsiveness to health improvement (effect size 0.45 at 8h).
• CARIFS scores did not correlate with physician assessment of clinical severity at presentation.

Conclusions:

• CARIFS is a valid measure of functional severity and parental burden in children with acute respiratory infections.
• CARIFS may not be a suitable measure for physiological severity in this population.
• The scale shows promise for use in European primary care settings for assessing functional aspects of illness.