Child's Health · Published 2026-06-24 · DOI 10.22141/2224-0551.21.4.2026.1963
T.K. Mavropulo, T.A. Bordiy, O.V. Shvaratska, T. Plekhanova, M.V. Kalichevska, O.V. Klymenko, V.O. Klimova, O.M. Taran
Background. The concept of safety netting in pediatrics is considered an important tool for safely completing a consultation under diagnostic uncertainty. In pediatric practice, its importance is particularly great, since early manifestations of serious diseases in children are often nonspecific, and further monitoring of the child’s condition is largely carried out by parents or guardians. In modern literature, safety netting is interpreted as a combination of clinical thinking, communication, informing about signs of deterioration, and organizing repeat visits. The purpose is to generalize and analyze modern scientific data on the concept of safety netting in pediatrics and determine its clinical and educational significance. Materials and methods. The study was conducted as a narrative literature review. The search for sources was made in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Google Scholar databases for 2016–2026 using the following keywords: “safety netting”, “safety netting + pediatrics”, “safety netting + diagnostic uncertainty”, “safety netting + primary care”, “safety netting + medical education”, “safety netting + parent communication”. Additionally, the snowball method and analysis of some sources of grey literature were used. The selection of publications was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 principles. The qualitative synthesis included 17 sources on the clinical, communication and educational aspects of safety netting in pediatrics and primary care. Results. It was found that safety netting is a multi-component concept that includes reporting diagnostic uncertainty, informing about red flags, explaining the expected course of the disease, determining the timing and routes of repeat visit, organizing follow-up and documenting recommendations. The sources analyzed indicate that the effectiveness of safety netting depends on the clarity, specificity, individualization and comprehensibility of advice for parents, as well as on the use of written or digital support formats. It has been shown that safety netting can contribute to the rational use of antibiotics, reduce unjustified repeat visits and increase parental confidence in caring for their child. At the same time, the evidence base remains limited due to the heterogeneity of studies, the prevalence of qualitative and descriptive designs and the lack of standardized models for implementing this strategy. The educational value of safety netting as a professional competence that requires targeted formation in medical students and doctors is particularly emphasized. Conclusions. The concept of safety netting in pediatrics is an important component of clinical safety, combining parent communication, management of diagnostic uncertainty and planning for further monitoring of the child. Its effectiveness depends on the quality of communication, adaptation of recommendations to a specific family and proper documentation. Given its clinical and educational significance, it is advisable to integrate safety netting principles into undergraduate and postgraduate training of physicians.
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Mavropulo, T., Bordiy, T., Shvaratska, O., et al. (2026). The concept of safety netting in pediatrics: practical and educational aspects. Child's Health. https://doi.org/10.22141/2224-0551.21.4.2026.1963