This guideline addresses the evaluation and management of wellappearing, term infants, 8 to 60 days of age, with fever $38.0 C. Exclusions are noted. After a commissioned evidence-based review by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an additional extensive and ongoing review of the literature, and supplemental data from published, peer-reviewed studies provided by active investigators, 21 key action statements were derived. For each key action statement, the quality of evidence and benefit-harm relationship were assessed and graded to determine the strength of recommendations. When appropriate, parents' values and preferences should be incorporated as part of shared decision-making. For diagnostic testing, the committee has attempted to develop numbers needed to test, and for antimicrobial administration, the committee provided numbers needed to treat. Three algorithms summarize the recommendations for infants 8 to 21 days of age, 22 to 28 days of age, and 29 to 60 days of age. The recommendations in this guideline do not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as a standard of medical care. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate. BACKGROUNDEfforts to develop an evidence-based approach to the evaluation and management of young febrile infants have spanned more than 4 decades. 1 In the 1970s, concerns arose about the emergence and rapid progression of group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection in neonates, whose clinical appearance and preliminary laboratory evaluations did not always reflect the presence of serious disease. 2 Such concerns led to extensive evaluations, hospitalizations, and antimicrobial treatment of all febrile infants younger than 60 days, 3 with many institutions extending complete sepsis workups to 90 days. However, the seminal

Context Fever in infants challenges clinicians in distinguishing between serious conditions, such as bacteremia or bacterial meningitis, and minor illnesses. To date, the practice patterns of office-based pediatricians in treating febrile infants and the clinical outcomes resulting from their care have not been systematically studied. Objectives To characterize the management and clinical outcomes of fever in infants, develop a clinical prediction model for the identification of bacteremia/bacterial meningitis, and compare the accuracy of various strategies. Design Prospective cohort study.

Compared with earlier studies, UTIs now are found significantly more often than bacteremia and meningitis with 92% of occult infections associated with UTIs. These data emphasize the importance of an urinalysis in febrile infants.

Hospitalizations of some infants with bronchiolitis are prolonged by a perceived need for supplemental oxygen therapy based on pulse oximetry readings. Further investigation into outcomes of different levels and durations of oxygen desaturation is needed and would have the potential to reduce practice variability and shorten the length of stay.

Practitioners order urine tests selectively, focusing on younger and more ill-appearing infants and on those without an apparent fever source. Such selective urine testing, with close follow-up, was associated with few late UTIs in this large study. Urine testing should focus particularly on uncircumcised boys, girls, the youngest and sickest infants, and those with persistent fever.