Treatment of acute otitis media - NICE Guidelines

Acute otitis media
Treatment: Pain relief, antibiotics (not necessary)
Education:
Otitis media lasts an average of 3 days, can last 1 week
Otitis media majority caused by viral infection, antibiotics are useless against viruses. They only work on bacteria.
Antibiotic resistance.
Side effects of antibiotics.
Options:
No antibiotic
Delayed antibiotic (take if it gets worse/ not better in 3 days)
Immediate antibiotic and referral
Always safety net:
Ask parents to look out if their child looks less interested/ sleepy, more difficult to arouse, seek medical attention, might be something else (e.g. sepsis, mastoiditis)