Ho 1994.

Methods	setting: Paediatric emergency department, Perth, Australia design: randomised, double‐blind controlled trial, parallel design length of intervention: length of hospitalisation up to 5 days masking: double blind excluded: stated withdrawals: stated baseline characteristics: similar in both treatment groups
Participants	58 children mean age: 4 y: M 24, F 34 prednisolone arm: n=31 control arm: n=27 inclusion criteria: children age 2 ‐ 14 attending hospital emergency department with acute asthma with saturation <= 93% and requiring admission exclusion criteria: Seriously ill with asthma, previous steroids used (any oral or inhaled steroids >400 mcg/d) Child < 2yrs excluded
Interventions	1mg/kg oral prednisolone given at admission OR placebo all children got standard therapy of regular beta 2 agonists. Some received theophylline and ipratropium bromide
Outcomes	Length of stay Change in SaO2 (12, 24 hrs) Change in predicted FEV1 (12, 24, 36hrs) Change in predicted PEFR (12, 24, 36 hrs)
Notes	Jadad score 4
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Allocation concealment?	Unclear risk	B ‐ Unclear