Commentary on Practice Guidelines

Physicians who criticize practice guidelines for treating feverish children may not realize that the guidelines were not meant to substitute for a physician's judgment. The guidelines recommended fairly aggressive testing and treatment of feverish children. Primary care physicians who can follow-up patients and don't have the means to take blood samples for testing may choose to ignore the guidelines. Emergency physicians in hospitals have the means to do the tests and may not see the patient again. They may choose to follow the guidelines.