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ent paediatrics general-medicine

Acute Otitis Media Severity (AOM-SOS)

Grades acute otitis media severity to guide antibiotic prescribing vs watchful waiting in children and adults.

Score interpretation

Non-severe AOM — watchful waiting

→ Analgesics (paracetamol, ibuprofen); watchful waiting 48-72h; back-up antibiotic prescription to use if no improvement; review if worsens

Moderate AOM — antibiotic recommended

→ Amoxicillin 500mg TDS 5 days (child: 40-90mg/kg/day TDS); co-amoxiclav if no response at 48h; analgesics; NICE: antibiotics for bilateral AOM in children <2 years

Severe AOM or complications risk

→ Immediate antibiotics; co-amoxiclav if otorrhoea or treatment failure; ENT review; exclude mastoiditis (post-auricular swelling, protrusion of ear); CT if mastoiditis suspected

Interpretation bands for the AOM Severity. Apply clinical judgement and local guidance.

References

Related

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

Decision support only — verify against a current formulary, NICE, or your local guideline before clinical use.