NCT06986148

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if a "watch and wait" antibiotic strategy, called Safety Net Antibiotic Prescribing (SNAP), can safely reduce unnecessary antibiotic use while ensuring that children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia get better from their illness. The main aims of this study are:

  • To compare the effectiveness of SNAP versus immediate antibiotic prescribing in children with mild community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)
  • To identify which patient groups benefit most from the SNAP strategy
  • To identify factors that shape implementation of each prescribing strategy. Researchers will compare the SNAP strategy (where parents or guardians are instructed to give antibiotics only if their child is not improving after 72 hours, or sooner if they are worsening) to the immediate antibiotic prescribing strategy (where parents or guardians are instructed to give the antibiotics right after their healthcare visit) to see if one strategy is more effective than the other. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the immediate antibiotic group or the SNAP group at enrollment. Participation lasts 14 days with follow-up surveys at 4, 7, and 14 days after enrollment.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
2,000

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
39mo left

Started Sep 2025

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

4 active sites

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress17%
Sep 2025Jul 2029

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

May 7, 2025

Completed
15 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 22, 2025

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 9, 2025

Completed
3.8 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 30, 2029

Expected
16 days until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 16, 2029

Last Updated

January 27, 2026

Status Verified

January 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

3.8 years

First QC Date

May 7, 2025

Last Update Submit

January 24, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

Community-acquired PneumoniaPediatric Respiratory DiseasesPneumoniaAntibiotic UseSNAP

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Clinical Improvement

    Clinical improvement at 7 days after the index visit, defined as parent-reported (a) perception of overall improvement, (b) no worsening of fever, work of breathing, concerning changes in activity, or decreased oral intake, (c) no new antibiotic use or hospitalization following the index visit, and (d) improvement in at least one key pneumonia symptom in (b).

    From enrollment to day 7

  • Antibiotic Use

    Antibiotic use through 7 days after the index visit, defined as Parent-reported antibiotic use (yes/no) at 7 days.

    From enrollment to day 7

Secondary Outcomes (5)

  • Antibiotic Exposure

    From enrollment to day 14

  • Clinical Improvement

    From enrollment to day 14

  • Parent Satisfaction

    From enrollment to day 14

  • Quality of Life Measures

    From enrollment to day 14

  • Return to Care

    From enrollment to day 14

Other Outcomes (1)

  • Antibiotic-associated Adverse Events

    From enrollment to day 14

Study Arms (2)

Immediate Antibiotic Prescribing

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

For participants randomized to this arm, a prescription is filled and the antibiotic is administered right after the index visit.

Other: Immediate Antibiotic Prescribing Group Instructions

Safety Net Antibiotic Prescribing (SNAP)

OTHER

For participants randomized to this arm, a prescription is provided, but the patient is instructed not to take the antibiotic unless the child is not improving at 72 hours or sooner if getting worse.

Other: Safety Net Antibiotic Prescribing (SNAP) Group Instructions

Interventions

For children randomized to the SNAP group, their parents or guardians will receive a prescription for antibiotics, but will be told not to administer the antibiotic unless their child's symptoms show no improvement at 72 hours or worsen within 72 hours.

Safety Net Antibiotic Prescribing (SNAP)

Children randomized to the immediate antibiotic prescribing group will receive an antibiotic prescription with instructions to fill and administer the antibiotics.

Immediate Antibiotic Prescribing

Eligibility Criteria

Age12 Months - 71 Months
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17)

You may qualify if:

  • Aims 1 and 2:
  • Presenting with signs and symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection
  • Diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) by a clinician
  • The treating clinician intends to prescribe antibiotics for CAP, AND
  • Well enough, as determined by the clinician at the time of the study enrollment visit, to be managed as an outpatient.
  • Aim 3:
  • Parent/guardian of child enrolled in the trial, OR
  • Clinician who makes prescribing decision at the study site, OR
  • Other practice-based parties (e.g. nurses, pharmacists, medical assistants, practice leaders) at study sites who can comment on the implementation of each prescribing strategy.

You may not qualify if:

  • Aims 1 and 2:
  • Hospitalization within the previous 7 days
  • Oxygen saturation below 90%, if measured
  • Incomplete immunization status (e.g., lacking at least 3 doses of the pneumococcal vaccines, typically given as part of the 2-, 4-, and 6-month vaccinations)
  • Chronic medical conditions that increase the risk of bacterial CAP (e.g., chronic lung disease, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease),
  • Substantially immunocompromised status (e.g., immunodeficiency, active cancer treatment, organ transplant with concurrent immunosuppressive agents)
  • Receipt of oral or parenteral antibiotics within the previous 7 days
  • Diagnosis of complicated pneumonia (e.g., empyema, lung abscess)
  • Known bacterial source of infection warranting immediate antibiotics
  • Pneumonia diagnosis within the previous 6 months, OR
  • Prior enrollment in the trial
  • Inability of the parent or guardian to speak English or Spanish
  • Aim 3:
  • Inability of the parent or guardian to speak English

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (4)

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia, 30329, United States

RECRUITING

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States

RECRUITING

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

RECRUITING

Primary Children's Hospital

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Community-Acquired PneumoniaPneumonia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Community-Acquired InfectionsInfectionsRespiratory Tract InfectionsRespiratory Tract DiseasesLung Diseases

Study Officials

  • Todd Florin, MD, MSCE

    Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Julia Szymczak, PhD

    University of Utah

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Todd Florin, MD, MSCE

CONTACT

Julia Szymczak, PhD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
OTHER
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Division Head for Academic Affairs & Research, Division of Emergency Medicine

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

May 7, 2025

First Posted

May 22, 2025

Study Start

September 9, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 16, 2029

Last Updated

January 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

At the conclusion of the study, a de-identified dataset will be prepared and made available for sharing with investigators as specified by the lead investigators and the funding agency. Data sharing will follow established guidelines to ensure that any shared dataset does not contain protected health information (PHI) and is fully anonymized. Investigators requesting access to the dataset will need to submit a data use agreement, specifying how the data will be used. Results of the study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, presentations at scientific meetings, and the PCORI website. Aim 3 interview transcripts will not be shared to a publicly available repository since it will be impossible to fully anonymize the transcripts.

Locations