Prevention of Respiratory Infections Among Children Under 3 Years of Age Attending

Randomized controlled clinical trial including children up-to 3 years-old who attend daycare centres in O Porto.

To evaluate the Primary Prevention of Respiratory infections it was created and ministered to children's caregivers an education health session, regarding the prevention of respiratory infections of children, according to caregivers needs.

It is known that parental perceptions influence their behaviour in respect to the care of their unwell child. Sometimes misunderstandings occurred because parents' expressions of concern or requests for additional information were sometimes perceived as a challenge to the clinicians' diagnosis or treatment decision, which leads to unnecessary and unwanted prescribing of antibiotics. Health professionals should provide consistent information that promotes parental self-efficacy in the care of their unwell child.

To evaluate the Secondary Prevention of Respiratory Infections it was applied to children with signs of upper respiratory infections (rhinorrhea, cough and nasal obstruction) a nasal clearance protocol, developed by Guy Postiaux. This protocol consists on the application of physiological serum in the nostrils of the child, followed by forced nasal inspiration. The protocol is applied for 3 consecutive days, according to established criteria suggested by Postiaux. This intervention is indicated on Upper Respiratory Infections, such as rhinitis or rhinopharyngitis, with large amount of secretions in the upper airway and it is an effective adjuvant for medication. Forced nasal inspiration is able to create sufficient gas velocity to act on the pressure of the middle ear, through the eustachian tube, and may have an important role in the prevention of otitis.