A recent Ann Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and PECARN study suggests that additional testing may be needed alongside a physical exam to accurately diagnose pneumonia in children.

It is important to note that, according to a Lurie Children’s press release, current guidelines suggest physical exams for pneumonia diagnosis in children when symptoms are present.

Seven pediatric emergency departments and 252 children aged three months-17 years in the U.S. participated in the study. Each participant was diagnosed with pneumonia. While each patient was seen by two different doctors within an hour of each other, each doctor used different lung sounds to diagnose pneumonia. Specifically, the researchers found that “doctors often disagreed about common lung sounds used to help diagnose pneumonia, including crackles, decreased breath sounds and rhonchi.”

The researchers are calling for more consistent ways to diagnose pneumonia, like electronic stethoscopes, computer programs, better imaging, and diagnostic testing. Improved testing techniques could lead to the right patients getting treatment, avoiding antibiotic overuse and missed diagnoses.