Primary care management of croup in kids?

Primary care management of croup in children involves:

• Assessing the severity of symptoms, including the presence of stridor, respiratory distress, and hydration status.
• For mild cases (no stridor at rest, no respiratory distress), provide supportive care at home with advice to parents on monitoring and when to seek further medical help.
• Administer a single dose of oral corticosteroids (such as dexamethasone) to reduce airway inflammation and improve symptoms.
• In cases with moderate to severe symptoms (stridor at rest, respiratory distress), urgent referral to secondary care is required for further assessment and possible treatment, including nebulised adrenaline and oxygen therapy.
• Ensure parents or carers receive clear safety-netting advice about warning signs that require urgent medical attention, such as worsening breathing difficulty, persistent stridor, or poor fluid intake.

Note: While the provided context does not explicitly detail croup management, these recommendations align with standard UK primary care practice and NICE principles for managing acute respiratory illnesses in children, including the importance of clinical assessment, corticosteroid use, and safety-netting advice ².