A clinical decision support tool estimates the probability of acute appendicitis in children presenting with abdominal pain. These tools typically incorporate clinical findings, laboratory values, and imaging results to generate a risk score. For example, a tool might consider factors like white blood cell count, presence of fever, migration of pain, and rebound tenderness to assess the likelihood of appendicitis.
These estimation instruments offer several potential advantages in the management of pediatric abdominal pain. They can assist clinicians in stratifying patients based on their risk, which may lead to more appropriate resource allocation, including decisions regarding imaging studies and surgical consultation. Historically, the diagnosis of appendicitis in children has been challenging, resulting in both unnecessary appendectomies and delayed diagnoses, which can lead to complications. Risk calculators aim to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce both of these undesirable outcomes.
