Upcoming updates of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Otitis Media in Children in Japan

Abstract

The first version of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Otitis Media in Children in Japan which was published in 2006, has been in the process of updating this year. The guideline has been created to offer the recommendations for diagnosis and management of pediatric acute otitis media (AOM) in the era of intractable AOM. Decrease in the rate of drug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae that was a possible cause of resistance to treatment with antibiotics, and intractable cases were believed to be the influences of the guidelines. The basic structures should be maintained in the updates. It could be necessary for the guidelines to include the cases except for simple ones and/or to introduce the latest methodology of creating guidelines. We consider that the guidelines should be not only for the present patients but also for the future patients. Our mission of the appropriate antibiotic-use as widely as possible should not change.