Feasibility of establishing acute respiratory infection treatment units (ATU) for improvement of care of children with acute respiratory infection

Abstract Background Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children below 5 years of age. Methods This multisite prospective observational study was carried out in the Pediatrics’ out-patient departments of 5 medical colleges across India with an objective to assess the feasibility of establishing Acute Respiratory Infection Treatment Unit (ATU) in urban medical college hospitals. ATU (staffed with a nurse and a medical officer) was established in the out-patient areas at study sites. Children, aged 2–59 months, with cough and/ breathing difficulty for