RESPIRATORY AND SYSTEMIC INFECTIONS: BRIDGING CARE BETWEEN PEDIATRICS, INTERNAL MEDICINE, AND PULMONOLOGY

Respiratory and systemic infections remain a major burden across age groups, yet integration of care between pediatrics, internal medicine, and pulmonology is seldom evaluated in experimental settings. The objective of this study was to assess outcomes of a multidisciplinary management protocol in patients (children and adults) hospitalized with acute respiratory infections and concurrent systemic involvement, comparing standard specialty‐based care versus integrated care. In a randomized trial of 240 participants (120 pediatric; 120 adult), the integrated‐care arm showed significantly shorter hospital length of stay (mean ± SD: 5.2 ± 1.3 days vs 7.8 ± 2.1 days; p < 0.001), lower rates of progression to severe respiratory failure (12.5% vs 28.3%; p = 0.005), and reduced systemic complications (e.g. sepsis markers) (C‐reactive protein decline by day 3: −45.6 ± 12.2 mg/L vs −30.3 ± 10.8 mg/L; p < 0.001). Objective improvements in pulmonary function (adults) and oxygenation (children) were also significantly greater in the integrated‐care arm. The findings suggest that bridging care among pediatrics, internal medicine, and pulmonology leads to improved outcomes, faster recovery, and fewer complications. This experimental evidence supports adoption of multidisciplinary protocols in respiratory‐systemic infection management.