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We will introduce a measured model of care using a comprehensive educational Respiratory Care Bundle for children with Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF) in rural and remote hospitals in Queensland.

In young children, intercostal muscles are poorly developed and less effective as the accessory muscles of respiration. Ribs are horizontally aligned from the vertebral column and cannot increase the cross-sectional area of the thorax during inspiration, unlike older children and adults.

Bronchiolitis is a common lower respiratory tract illness in infants (0-12months) caused by a viral illness which presents with flu-like symptoms – cough, fever, runny nose. This illness is usually self-limiting within 7-10 days (peaking day 2-3).

Fever or febrile illness is one of the most common paediatric ED presentations. Identifying a focus of infection can be challenging especially in very young children.

Pre-school wheeze is also referred to as reactive airways disease. Wheeze is a very common ED presentation in children that is usually caused by intercurrent viral infection or other environmental triggers. The term asthma is not used to describe a wheezing illness in pre-schoolers as there is insufficient evidence that the pathophysiology is similar to that of asthma in older children and adults.

Sepsis arises when the body is invaded by an infection, prompting the immune system to fight it. In response, the immune system becomes hyperactive and targets the body's organs and tissues. This can result in harm to vital organs such as the kidneys, lungs, brain, and heart, potentially leading to fatal consequences. The best chance of getting better from sepsis is early intervention.

Community acquired pneumonia is a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia caused by a community acquired infection in a previously healthy child. Clinical assessment can be challenging; symptoms vary with age and can be non-specific in young children, and aetiology is often unknown at presentation.

In both, infants and children oxygen therapy is required if the patient presents with a SpO2 reading that is consistently less than 90%.