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. 2009 Sep 2;59(568):819–824. doi: 10.3399/bjgp09X472520

Table 2.

Avoidable primary care factors.

Age Primary care factor Fatal consequence
1 month Delay in hospital admission in neonate with respiratory distress Pneumonia

2 months Failure to recognise severity of respiratory infection Pneumonia secondary to pertussis

4 months Breathlessness attributed to bronchiolitis in child with congenital heart disease Heart failure

7 months Failure to administer pneumococcal vaccine on request Pneumococcal meningitis

8 months Failure to recognise severity of secondary infection in chickenpox Septicaemia

9 months Failure to administer pneumococcal vaccine on request Pneumococcal septicaemia

1 year Inadequate safety netting Pneumococcal meningitis

1 year Failure to recognise severe dehydration E. coli diarrhoea

3 years Cough and fever diagnosed as ‘throat infection’ Empyema and septicaemia

6 years Vomiting and pallor diagnosed as ‘viral infection’ Viral pericarditis

8 years Failure to attend follow-up GP appointment following asthma exacerbation Severe acute asthma

8 years Myalgia and fever diagnosed as ‘flu’ Pneumococcal meningitis

8 years Repeated failure to recognise severity of infection over 7 days Viral pneumonia

12 years Failure to recognise importance of respiratory symptoms Staphylococcal pneumonia

14 years Exceptionally reported from quality indicators for failure to attend Acute asthma

15 years Failure to follow up poor asthma control Acute asthma

16 years Prescribed epilepsy medication had run out Drowned in bath during seizure

16 years Severe acute infection diagnosed and treated as asthma Pneumonia