Best evidence topic reports. BET 1: Ambulatory care in well adults diagnosed with malaria in the emergency department.

A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether patients with malaria can be safely treated as outpatients. Thirty-six papers were found, of which four presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that in selected patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria ambulatory management may be a safe alternative to inpatient management, although the current UK guidance advocates initial admission for all patients.