This list covers paediatric pulmonology thesis topics drawn from the work a paediatric chest service already does: asthma and recurrent wheezing, pneumonia and pleural disease, childhood tuberculosis and chronic pulmonary infection, bronchiectasis and structural airway disorders, and pulmonary function, sleep-disordered breathing, critical respiratory care and environmental exposure. It is written for MD and DNB Paediatrics candidates, and for DM and fellowship trainees who need paediatric respiratory medicine research topics that can be completed inside one thesis period. Each design runs on children already attending the chest clinic, ward, emergency room or intensive care unit, and on investigations the unit already performs — chest radiography read for clinical care, sputum or gastric aspirate testing, pulse oximetry, spirometry where an age-appropriate service exists, and bedside ultrasound. A paediatrics protocol or paediatrics synopsis can be prepared for any title below in the format the university or board requires.
Last reviewed and updated: August 2026
📌 Updated for 2026–2027 MD and DNB Paediatrics admissions
Every title was reviewed against what a district or teaching hospital paediatric unit can actually measure in a child, and against current case definitions for asthma, pneumonia severity and childhood tuberculosis.
- Most titles need only clinical assessment, pulse oximetry, routine haematology and imaging already ordered for care; spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, polysomnography and sweat chloride are flagged where a topic depends on them.
- No topic requires a research-only chest radiograph, computed tomography or bronchoscopy, and none assumes a paediatric sleep laboratory or a cystic fibrosis registry on site.
- Publication potential sits highest in the record-based severity and outcome studies, in agreement work between two case definitions, and in follow-up lung function after treated tuberculosis or empyema, where paediatric data from South Asia remain thin.
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- Introduction / Synopsis
- Research Question
- Aim of the Study
- Primary Objective
- Secondary Objectives
- Materials and Methods
- Inclusion Criteria
- Exclusion Criteria
- Sample Size Calculation
- Methodology
- Statistical Analysis
- Ethical Considerations
- Review of Literature
- References
- Gantt Chart / Study Timeline
- Patient Information Sheet
- Consent Form
- Data Collection Form
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Asthma and Recurrent Wheezing
- Clinical and Demographic Profile of Childhood Asthma among Children Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Clinical Profile of Newly Diagnosed Bronchial Asthma among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Prevalence of Bronchial Asthma among School-Aged Children in an Urban Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Bronchial Asthma among School-Aged Children in a Rural Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Asthma Prevalence and Risk Factors among Urban and Rural School Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Family History of Atopy with Childhood Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Parental History of Asthma with Asthma Severity among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis among Children with Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Allergic Rhinitis with Asthma Control among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Characteristics of Asthmatic Children with and without Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis among Children with Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Multiple Atopic Conditions with Asthma Severity among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical and Spirometric Profile of Children with Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Spirometric Parameters with Clinical Severity of Childhood Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Spirometric Parameters among Children with Different Levels of Asthma Control: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second with Asthma Symptom Control among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Peak Expiratory Flow Rate and Spirometric Parameters among Children with Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Peak Expiratory Flow Rate with Asthma Control among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Diagnostic Utility of Peak Expiratory Flow Rate in Identifying Airflow Limitation among Children with Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Body Mass Index with Asthma Severity among Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Asthma Control among Normal-Weight, Overweight and Obese Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Children with Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Vitamin D Levels with Asthma Control among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Vitamin D Status among Children with Controlled and Uncontrolled Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Absolute Eosinophil Count with Asthma Severity among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Peripheral Eosinophil Counts among Children with Asthma and Healthy Controls: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Serum Immunoglobulin E Levels with Asthma Severity among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Serum Immunoglobulin E Levels among Children with Controlled and Uncontrolled Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence and Pattern of Aeroallergen Sensitization among Children with Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of House Dust Exposure with Asthma Control among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Household Dampness and Mold Exposure with Asthma Symptoms among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure with Asthma Severity among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Asthma Control among Children with and without Household Tobacco Smoke Exposure: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Household Biomass Fuel Exposure with Asthma Symptoms among Rural Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Indoor Air Pollution with Asthma Control among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposure with Respiratory Symptoms among School Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Screen Time with Asthma Control among Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Physical Activity with Asthma Control among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Exercise-Induced Respiratory Symptoms among Children with Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Exercise-Related Symptoms among Asthmatic and Non-Asthmatic School Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Uncontrolled Asthma among Children Attending a Paediatric Respiratory Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Medication Adherence with Asthma Control among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence and Determinants of Poor Inhaled Medication Adherence among Children with Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Inhaler Technique among Children Receiving Inhaled Therapy for Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Prevalence and Pattern of Errors in Metered-Dose Inhaler Technique among Children with Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Incorrect Inhaler Technique with Poor Asthma Control among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Inhaler Technique among Children Using Metered-Dose Inhalers and Dry-Powder Inhalers: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Knowledge and Practices Regarding Spacer Devices among Parents of Children with Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Caregiver Knowledge Regarding Childhood Asthma and Its Association with Asthma Control: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence of Asthma-Related School Absenteeism among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Asthma Control with School Absenteeism among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Health-Related Quality of Life among Children with Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Quality of Life among Children with Controlled and Uncontrolled Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Sleep Quality among Children with Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Nocturnal Asthma Symptoms with Sleep Quality among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical Profile of Recurrent Wheezing among Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Risk Factor Profile of Recurrent Wheezing among Children below Five Years of Age: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Characteristics of Episodic and Multiple-Trigger Wheezing among Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Early-Life Environmental Exposures with Recurrent Wheezing among Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical, Allergic, Environmental and Spirometric Profile of Childhood Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Pneumonia, Lower Respiratory Tract Infections and Pleural Diseases
- Clinical and Aetiological Profile of Community-Acquired Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Clinical and Radiological Profile of Childhood Pneumonia among Hospitalised Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pneumonia among Infants and Older Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Age with Clinical Severity of Community-Acquired Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Nutritional Status with Severity of Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pneumonia Severity among Malnourished and Normally Nourished Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Severe Acute Malnutrition among Children Hospitalised with Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Anaemia with Pneumonia Severity among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Haematological Parameters among Children with Different Severities of Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Leucocyte Count with Clinical Severity of Childhood Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio with Severity of Community-Acquired Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio with Severity of Childhood Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of C-Reactive Protein Levels with Clinical Severity of Childhood Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of C-Reactive Protein Levels in Children with and without Radiologically Confirmed Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Procalcitonin Levels with Severity of Community-Acquired Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of C-Reactive Protein and Procalcitonin among Children with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Chest Radiographic Patterns among Children with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Radiographic Pattern with Clinical Severity of Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Lobar and Bronchopneumonia Patterns among Hospitalised Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Diagnostic Utility of Lung Ultrasonography in Childhood Pneumonia Using Chest Radiography as Reference: A Cross-Sectional Diagnostic Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Lung Ultrasonography and Chest Radiography Findings among Children with Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Lung Ultrasonographic Profile of Children with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Lung Ultrasound Findings with Clinical Severity of Childhood Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical Profile of Recurrent Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Aetiological Spectrum of Recurrent Pneumonia among Children Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Children with Recurrent and First-Episode Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Underlying Respiratory Disorders among Children Presenting with Recurrent Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical and Radiological Profile of Complicated Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Uncomplicated and Complicated Community-Acquired Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Parapneumonic Effusion among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Pleural Fluid Biochemical and Cytological Profile among Children with Pleural Effusion: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pleural Fluid Characteristics in Tuberculous and Parapneumonic Effusions among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Pleural Fluid Biochemical Parameters with Aetiology of Paediatric Pleural Effusion: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical and Radiological Profile of Empyema Thoracis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Microbiological Profile of Empyema Thoracis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Characteristics of Empyema Thoracis and Uncomplicated Parapneumonic Effusion: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Nutritional Status with Empyema Thoracis among Children with Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical and Radiological Profile of Lung Abscess among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Clinical Profile of Necrotising Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Necrotising and Non-Necrotising Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Viral Lower Respiratory Tract Infection among Infants and Young Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Viral Aetiological Spectrum of Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Characteristics of Viral and Bacterial Lower Respiratory Tract Infections among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection among Infants: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Prematurity with Severity of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection among Infants: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Positive and Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Negative Bronchiolitis among Infants: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Acute Bronchiolitis among Infants: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Age with Severity of Acute Bronchiolitis among Infants: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Breastfeeding Status with Severity of Acute Bronchiolitis among Infants: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Household Tobacco Smoke Exposure with Severity of Acute Bronchiolitis among Infants: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Severity of Bronchiolitis among Infants with and without Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Vitamin D Levels with Severity of Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Vitamin D Status among Children with Pneumonia and Healthy Controls: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Indoor Biomass Fuel Exposure with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Household Overcrowding with Recurrent Lower Respiratory Tract Infection among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Immunisation Status with Severity of Pneumonia among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Antibiotic Utilisation Pattern among Children Hospitalised with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Microbiological Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern among Children with Complicated Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Clinical and Laboratory Profile of Children Requiring Intensive Care for Severe Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Clinical, Radiological and Laboratory Spectrum of Paediatric Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Paediatric Tuberculosis and Chronic Pulmonary Infections
- Clinical and Demographic Profile of Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Children Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Clinical and Radiological Profile of Paediatric Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Children below and above Five Years of Age: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Nutritional Status among Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Malnutrition with Clinical Severity of Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence of Severe Acute Malnutrition among Young Children with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Household Tuberculosis Contact with Paediatric Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Household Contact Profile among Children Diagnosed with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Characteristics among Children with and without Documented Household Tuberculosis Contact: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Symptom Profile of Microbiologically Confirmed Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Microbiologically Confirmed and Clinically Diagnosed Paediatric Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Diagnostic Yield of Sputum Examination among Children Evaluated for Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Diagnostic Yield of Gastric Aspirate Testing among Young Children with Suspected Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Diagnostic Yield of Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing among Children with Suspected Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Diagnostic Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Smear Microscopy and Molecular Testing in Paediatric Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Diagnostic Yield of Induced Sputum for Microbiological Confirmation of Paediatric Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Induced Sputum and Gastric Aspirate for Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Chest Radiographic Patterns among Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Chest Radiographic Findings with Microbiological Confirmation of Paediatric Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Radiological Findings in Microbiologically Confirmed and Clinically Diagnosed Paediatric Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Hilar and Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy among Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical and Imaging Profile of Tuberculous Pleural Effusion among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Pleural Fluid Profile among Children with Tuberculous Pleural Effusion: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Diagnostic Utility of Pleural Fluid Adenosine Deaminase in Paediatric Tuberculous Pleural Effusion: A Cross-Sectional Diagnostic Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pleural Fluid Adenosine Deaminase in Tuberculous and Non-Tuberculous Pleural Effusion among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Endobronchial Tuberculosis among Children Undergoing Bronchoscopy: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Bronchoscopic Findings among Children with Suspected Endobronchial Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Persistent Lobar Collapse with Endobronchial Tuberculosis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical and Radiological Profile of Miliary Tuberculosis with Respiratory Involvement among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary Manifestations in Disseminated and Isolated Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Anaemia among Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Haemoglobin Levels with Nutritional Status among Children with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Haematological Profile of Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of C-Reactive Protein with Clinical Severity of Paediatric Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Inflammatory Markers among Children with Tuberculosis and Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Vitamin D Status among Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Vitamin D Levels among Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Healthy Controls: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Vitamin D Deficiency with Severity of Paediatric Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection among Children Diagnosed with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Characteristics among Children with and without Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Drug-Resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Children Presenting to a Tertiary Care Centre: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Pattern of Drug Resistance among Microbiologically Confirmed Paediatric Tuberculosis Cases: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Characteristics of Drug-Sensitive and Drug-Resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Previous Tuberculosis Treatment with Drug Resistance among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Household Contact with Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical and Radiological Profile of Post-Tubercular Structural Lung Disease among Children and Adolescents Presenting to a Respiratory Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Spirometric Abnormalities among Children and Adolescents with Previous Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary Function among Children with Previous Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Healthy Controls: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Radiological Abnormalities with Spirometric Findings among Children with Previous Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence of Bronchiectatic Changes among Children with Previous Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Knowledge Regarding Paediatric Tuberculosis among Parents of Affected Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Knowledge and Practices Regarding Infection Prevention among Caregivers of Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Medication Adherence among Children and Adolescents Receiving Antitubercular Treatment at the Time of Assessment: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Factors Associated with Poor Medication Adherence among Children Receiving Treatment for Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence of Adverse Drug Reactions among Children Currently Receiving Antitubercular Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Pattern of Hepatic Biochemical Abnormalities among Children Receiving Antitubercular Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Liver Function Parameters among Children Receiving Different Antitubercular Treatment Regimens: A Cross-Sectional Study
- School Attendance and Educational Disruption among Children Receiving Treatment for Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Health-Related Quality of Life among Children and Adolescents with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical, Nutritional, Microbiological and Radiological Spectrum of Paediatric Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Chronic Lung Diseases, Bronchiectasis, Cystic Fibrosis and Structural Airway Disorders
- Clinical and Aetiological Profile of Bronchiectasis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- High-Resolution Computed Tomography Patterns among Children with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Distribution of Bronchiectasis according to Pulmonary Lobes among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Radiological Extent of Bronchiectasis with Clinical Severity among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Localised and Diffuse Bronchiectasis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Spirometric Profile of Children and Adolescents with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Spirometric Abnormalities with Radiological Severity of Bronchiectasis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Obstructive and Restrictive Spirometric Patterns among Children with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Microbiological Profile of Respiratory Samples among Children with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Bacterial Isolates among Children with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Colonization with Clinical Severity of Paediatric Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Characteristics of Children with Bronchiectasis with and without Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Isolation: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Nutritional Status among Children with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Body Mass Index with Pulmonary Function among Children with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Health-Related Quality of Life among Children with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Respiratory Symptom Burden with Quality of Life among Children with Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Aetiological Spectrum of Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Post-Infectious and Non-Infectious Bronchiectasis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Cystic Fibrosis among Children Attending a Paediatric Pulmonology Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Respiratory Manifestations among Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Nutritional Profile of Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Nutritional Status with Pulmonary Function among Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Spirometric Profile of Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second with Nutritional Status among Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Microbiological Profile of Respiratory Secretions among Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary Function among Children with and without Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Isolation in Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency among Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Vitamin D Levels with Pulmonary Function among Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Health-Related Quality of Life among Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Nutritional and Respiratory Profiles in Cystic Fibrosis and Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia among Children Presenting to a Tertiary Care Centre: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Respiratory Manifestations among Children with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical Characteristics of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia and Cystic Fibrosis among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Chronic Wet Cough among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Aetiological Spectrum of Chronic Wet Cough among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Children with Chronic Wet and Chronic Dry Cough: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical and Aetiological Profile of Chronic Cough among Children Attending a Paediatric Pulmonology Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Age with Aetiological Pattern of Chronic Cough among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Chest Radiographic Findings among Children with Chronic Cough: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Spirometric Abnormalities among School-Aged Children with Chronic Cough: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Spirometry among Children with Chronic Cough and Healthy Controls: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Foreign Body Aspiration among Children Presenting for Bronchoscopy: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Age with Type and Site of Airway Foreign Body among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Clinical and Radiological Findings among Children with and without Bronchoscopically Confirmed Airway Foreign Body: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Diagnostic Utility of Chest Radiography in Suspected Airway Foreign Body Aspiration among Children: A Cross-Sectional Diagnostic Study
- Bronchoscopic Profile of Airway Foreign Bodies among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Distribution of Airway Foreign Bodies according to Anatomical Location among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Congenital Airway Anomalies among Children Undergoing Bronchoscopy: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Bronchoscopic Findings among Children with Persistent or Recurrent Respiratory Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Diagnostic Yield of Flexible Bronchoscopy among Children with Chronic Respiratory Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cytological Profile among Children Undergoing Diagnostic Bronchoscopy: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Microbiological Profile of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Samples among Children with Chronic Lung Disease: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Clinical and Imaging Profile of Interstitial Lung Disease among Children Presenting to a Tertiary Care Centre: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Spirometric Profile of Children and Adolescents with Interstitial Lung Disease: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary Function in Interstitial and Obstructive Chronic Lung Diseases among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia among Children Presenting to a High-Risk Infant or Respiratory Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Respiratory Morbidity Profile of Infants with Established Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia at Clinic Assessment: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Current Nutritional Status with Respiratory Severity among Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Respiratory Characteristics among Infants with and without Established Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical, Radiological, Spirometric and Microbiological Spectrum of Chronic Lung Disease among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Pulmonary Function, Sleep-Disordered Breathing, Critical Respiratory Care and Environmental Pulmonology
- Spirometric Profile of Healthy School-Aged Children in an Indian Population: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Age, Height and Body Mass Index with Spirometric Parameters among Healthy Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Spirometric Parameters among Boys and Girls of School Age: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Spirometric Parameters among Urban and Rural School Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Nutritional Status with Pulmonary Function among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary Function among Underweight, Normal-Weight and Overweight Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Obesity with Spirometric Parameters among Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Peak Expiratory Flow Rate among Healthy School-Aged Children and Its Association with Anthropometric Parameters: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Correlation of Peak Expiratory Flow Rate with Height among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Peak Expiratory Flow Rate among Urban and Rural School Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Household Biomass Fuel Exposure with Pulmonary Function among Rural School Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Spirometric Parameters among Children from Biomass-Fuel-Using and Clean-Fuel-Using Households: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Passive Tobacco Smoke Exposure with Pulmonary Function among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary Function among Children with and without Household Tobacco Smoke Exposure: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Traffic-Related Air Pollution Exposure with Spirometric Parameters among School Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence of Chronic Respiratory Symptoms among School Children Living in High-Traffic Areas: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Respiratory Symptoms among Children Living in High- and Low-Traffic Areas: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms among Children Residing near Industrial Areas: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Household Cooking Fuel Type with Respiratory Symptoms among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Household Ventilation with Recurrent Respiratory Symptoms among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Indoor Incense and Mosquito-Coil Smoke Exposure with Respiratory Symptoms among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Prevalence of Sleep-Disordered Breathing among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Children with Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy with Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Sleep-Disordered Breathing Symptoms among Obese and Normal-Weight Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Body Mass Index with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Risk among Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Neck Circumference with Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea among Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Sleep Quality among Children with Chronic Respiratory Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Sleep Quality among Children with Asthma and Healthy Controls: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Sleep-Disordered Breathing with Academic Performance among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Association of Sleep-Disordered Breathing with Behavioural Problems among School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Caregiver-Reported Sleep Symptoms among Children with Chronic Lung Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Children Requiring Non-Invasive Respiratory Support in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Indications and Clinical Characteristics of Children Receiving High-Flow Nasal Oxygen Therapy: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Children Receiving High-Flow Nasal Oxygen and Non-Invasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Children Requiring Invasive Mechanical Ventilation for Respiratory Failure: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Aetiological Spectrum of Acute Respiratory Failure among Children Admitted to Intensive Care: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Hypoxaemic and Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Arterial Blood Gas Profile among Children with Acute Respiratory Failure: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Arterial Blood Gas Abnormalities with Clinical Severity of Paediatric Respiratory Failure: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Venous and Arterial Blood Gas Parameters among Children with Respiratory Illness: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Association of Oxygen Saturation with Arterial Oxygenation among Children with Acute Respiratory Illness: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical and Radiological Profile of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome among Children: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Oxygenation Index with Severity of Paediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Lung Ultrasound Profile among Critically Ill Children with Respiratory Failure: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Lung Ultrasound Score with Oxygen Requirement among Critically Ill Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Lung Ultrasound and Chest Radiography among Children Admitted with Acute Respiratory Failure: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Clinical Profile of Pneumothorax among Children Admitted to a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Association of Mechanical Ventilation with Pneumothorax among Critically Ill Children: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study
- Clinical Profile of Pleural Effusion among Children Admitted to Intensive Care: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Respiratory Device Utilisation Pattern in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Oxygen Therapy Practices among Children with Acute Respiratory Illness in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Oxygen Delivery Devices among Hospitalised Children with Respiratory Illness: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Knowledge and Practices Regarding Home Nebulization among Caregivers of Children with Respiratory Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Knowledge and Practices Regarding Inhaled Therapy among Parents of Children with Chronic Respiratory Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Health-Related Quality of Life among Children with Chronic Respiratory Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Comparative Evaluation of Quality of Life among Children with Asthma, Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
- School Absenteeism and Academic Difficulties among Children with Chronic Respiratory Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Clinical, Functional, Environmental and Psychosocial Profile of Children Attending a Paediatric Pulmonology Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Alongside paediatric pulmonology protocols and synopses, support is also available for departmental presentations, journal club presentations, ethics committee presentations, and posters and oral presentations for medical conferences — for postgraduate residents, board trainees and research scholars across India and the GCC. Prepared by a practising doctor with long experience in medical publishing and thesis supervision.
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Paediatric pulmonology research outside India
The topics above work as research questions anywhere — what changes is the document the institution expects, and who approves it before data collection begins. The Gulf equivalent of an Indian synopsis is the paediatric pulmonology research proposal submitted to an institutional review board, and it ordinarily carries three sections an Indian synopsis does not: a Gantt chart, a budget and resources section, and a Declaration of Helsinki statement.
Board and residency programmes — country by country
Saudi Arabia — SCFHS and the Saudi Board. Residency and fellowship training under the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties includes a research project with a set timeline, and the paediatric pulmonology research proposal is the document prepared at the outset and cleared by the institutional review board before recruitment starts.
United Arab Emirates — DHA, DOH Abu Dhabi and MOHAP. Residents training in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates prepare a paediatric pulmonology research protocol for their programme and submit it for institutional review board approval before any data are collected.
Qatar — QCHP and Hamad Medical Corporation. A paediatric pulmonology IRB proposal is reviewed before recruitment, with the ethics section written to the institution's own template rather than a generic one.
Bahrain — NHRA. Trainees turning paediatric pulmonology research topics into a project need the proposal cleared by their institutional research and ethics committee before fieldwork begins.
Oman — OMSB. Residency programmes under the Oman Medical Specialty Board include a research component, and the paediatric pulmonology research proposal is the document assessed at the start of it.
Kuwait — KIMS. A paediatric pulmonology study protocol goes to the institutional committee for approval before the project begins.
Arab Board programmes across the region. The Arab Board carries its own research requirement irrespective of the host country, and the paediatric pulmonology proposal follows the same structure throughout.
Postgraduate degrees — Malaysia, the Gulf and beyond
Malaysia — MMed, the National Medical Research Register and MREC. A paediatric pulmonology dissertation proposal for a Master of Medicine programme carried out in a Ministry of Health facility must be registered on the NMRR and approved by the Medical Research and Ethics Committee before the study begins, and the guidance asks for submission four to six months ahead of data collection. Every investigator on the study team registers on the NMRR as well, so the methodology, ethics and team sections are written in far more detail than an Indian synopsis requires.
PhD and Master's candidates elsewhere. University programmes generally require a full paediatric pulmonology research proposal of roughly 6,000 to 10,000 words, with an extended literature review, a theoretical framework and a detailed methodology chapter.
These are written individually, by a medical doctor, with no artificial intelligence generation and no plagiarism, and revised until the supervisor accepts them.
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🔥 Trending research areas in paediatric pulmonology for 2026–27
- Bedside lung ultrasound in childhood pneumonia and bronchiolitis — it removes radiation, can be repeated during admission, and needs only a probe the unit already owns, so it is one of the few genuinely new measurements a resident can add without new equipment.
- Post-tuberculosis lung disease in children — treatment completion is increasingly recognised as not being the end of the illness, and spirometry or symptom follow-up six to twelve months after cure is unstudied in most Indian cohorts.
- Preschool wheeze phenotyping — separating episodic viral wheeze from multiple-trigger wheeze using symptom pattern, atopy markers and blood eosinophils changes treatment, and the classification is still argued over, which makes descriptive work publishable.
- Household and ambient air pollution as a respiratory exposure — biomass cooking fuel, second-hand smoke and low-cost particulate sensors allow an exposure gradient to be defined in children whose respiratory morbidity is already being recorded.
Protocol and synopsis guidance
What a paediatric pulmonology protocol must contain
A case definition that survives the preschool years. Below about five years, asthma is a pattern recognised across visits rather than a diagnosis made at one. The protocol must state exactly what counts as a case: physician-diagnosed asthma on stated criteria, a defined number of wheezing episodes within twelve months, or a documented predictive index — and must say whether children labelled recurrent wheeze form a separate stratum or are excluded. Leaving this to the treating team means the exposure and the outcome are defined differently for different children.
A reference standard, declared together with its known failure. In childhood tuberculosis, culture and nucleic acid amplification confirm only a minority of children, because disease is paucibacillary and young children do not expectorate; accuracy measured against confirmation alone is calculated in an unrepresentative subgroup. The protocol should name a composite classification of confirmed, unconfirmed and unlikely tuberculosis and report performance against both that composite and microbiological confirmation. In pneumonia, the clinical severity classification and radiographic endpoint consolidation select overlapping but different children, and the classification of chest indrawing was revised, so the protocol must name the version being applied and cannot mix severity categories across eras.
Measurement written as a standard operating procedure, not as a word. Respiratory rate counted over a full sixty seconds in a settled child, with the age band thresholds written out, because a rate counted during crying is not the same variable. Oxygen saturation recorded with the inspired oxygen concentration, probe site and a stable trace, since a saturation without a stated oxygen requirement cannot be interpreted. Wheeze recorded as auscultated by a named observer, separately from wheeze reported by the caregiver, because parents apply the word to any noisy breathing and agreement between observers is only moderate.
Equipment, operator and blinding. Whether spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, polysomnography, sweat chloride testing or lung ultrasound are available in the institution or referred out; who performs each test; and whether the person interpreting the index test is blinded to the reference standard. Two independent readers with an agreement statistic are needed wherever an image or a tracing is being scored.
Exclusions with time windows attached. Recent respiratory infection before lung function testing, preterm birth, congenital heart disease, neuromuscular weakness and chronic aspiration all change respiratory measurements, so each exclusion needs a definition and a stated interval rather than a bare mention.
Paediatric pulmonology synopsis versus paediatric pulmonology protocol
The synopsis is the short document the committee reads. It carries the title, a focused background, the research question, aims and objectives, the study design and setting, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the sample size with its assumptions, an outline of the analysis, and the references. It is written to be assessed in a single sitting and is usually held to a page limit set by the university or the board.
The protocol is the document the study is actually run from. It repeats everything in the synopsis and adds what the synopsis has no room for: the case record form, the consent and assent documents in the local language, the spirometry standard operating procedure with acceptability and repeatability criteria and the named reference equation, the sleep study scoring rules, the radiograph or ultrasound reading form used by each blinded reader, the data dictionary, the storage and confidentiality arrangements, and the full statistical analysis plan including how missing data and withdrawals will be handled.
Both must agree with each other and with the trial registry entry. Where the primary outcome, the case definition or the sample size differs between the synopsis, the protocol and the registration record, the discrepancy is usually noticed at thesis submission rather than at approval. Any change made after approval — a widened age band, an added investigation, an altered outcome — belongs in a dated amendment placed before the ethics committee, not in a silent correction to the methods chapter.
Sample size and statistical analysis
The calculation follows the primary outcome, and in this speciality that is rarely a simple proportion. A prevalence design is sized on an expected proportion and an absolute precision. A diagnostic accuracy design is sized on the expected sensitivity and the precision wanted around it, which fixes the number of children who must have the target condition; the number to be recruited is that figure divided by the expected prevalence of the condition in the sampling frame. This is the step that quietly sinks tuberculosis and pleural disease projects, because a unit seeing a large number of suspects may confirm very few, and the design needs confirmed cases rather than suspects.
Two case definitions compared with each other are an agreement study, not an accuracy study. Caregiver-reported wheeze against auscultated wheeze, or clinical against radiographic pneumonia, are two imperfect classifications of the same child. The analysis is the kappa statistic with its confidence interval, or a Bland and Altman plot for continuous measures, and neither definition can be said to miss cases. Sensitivity and specificity are reserved for comparison against a stated reference standard, with exact binomial confidence intervals, and should be reported separately for the confirmed and the composite reference where both exist.
Lung function is analysed as z-scores or per cent predicted, never as raw litres. Volumes and flows scale with height, and a growing child changes them without any change in disease. The reference equation must be named in the analysis plan, since the same tracing yields different values under different equations, and stunted children need special comment because height-based prediction fails when height itself is reduced by chronic illness or undernutrition.
Repeated and clustered measurements must be handled as such. Pre-bronchodilator and post-bronchodilator values from the same child are paired; readings taken at several visits are correlated and belong in a repeated measures or mixed model rather than being pooled as independent observations; and children recruited from the same household share their smoke exposure and their tuberculosis contact, which is a cluster. Where an outcome such as hospital stay or number of exacerbations is counted, the distribution is skewed and a median with an interquartile range, or a count model, is more honest than a mean and a standard deviation.
Frequently Asked Questions – Paediatric Pulmonology Thesis Topics (2026–27)
1. How do I choose a feasible paediatric pulmonology thesis topic?
Work backwards from the register rather than forwards from the literature. Count how many children with the condition passed through the unit in the last twelve months, halve that number to allow for refusals, incomplete records and the months lost to approvals, and ask whether the remainder still reaches the sample size the design needs. For the 2026 intake the safest topics are those whose measurements are already being made for clinical care — severity classification, oxygen requirement, length of stay, treatment outcome, imaging already ordered — because these do not depend on a machine being repaired or a technician being available on the day the child attends. A topic requiring spirometry, polysomnography or sweat chloride is feasible only if the test is running in the institution now, not promised.
2. Which study designs are accepted for a paediatric pulmonology thesis?
Cross-sectional descriptive and analytical studies, prospective observational cohorts followed to a defined endpoint, retrospective record-based cohorts, diagnostic accuracy studies against a stated reference standard, and agreement studies between two measurements or observers are all accepted. Randomised trials are accepted where the comparison is between two treatments both already in routine use and the intervention adds no risk, but the recruitment rate and the follow-up burden defeat most residents within one thesis period. Case series are usually accepted only for genuinely rare disorders and are strengthened by a defined denominator and a systematic search of the departmental register rather than a selection of memorable children.
3. What should I settle with my guide before writing the synopsis?
Five things, in writing. The exact case definition, including how asthma is separated from recurrent wheeze and which severity classification is being used. The single primary outcome, since the sample size follows from it and a protocol with three co-primary outcomes is powered for none of them. Who performs and who interprets each measurement, and whether that person is blinded. Which investigations are already funded by the hospital and which would be paid for by the study, because an unfunded test becomes a protocol deviation halfway through. And the age band, which decides everything else — assent requirements, whether lung function is possible at all, and which reference values apply.
4. Can a paediatric pulmonology thesis be done from hospital records alone?
It can, but the records have to be audited before the design is fixed rather than after. Pull thirty consecutive case sheets and check what is actually written. Respiratory rate is frequently recorded as a rounded figure or copied forward; oxygen saturation is often documented without the inspired oxygen concentration, which makes it uninterpretable; auscultatory findings are often recorded as normal or abnormal without describing wheeze or crepitations; and the severity classification may not be recorded at all, so it has to be reconstructed from signs, which is a different variable and must be described as such. If the audit shows the key variable is present in fewer than about four out of five sheets, the topic is not a record-based topic. Where it survives the audit, a retrospective design is a strong choice for a resident, because the whole cohort exists on the day approval is granted.
5. What is the difference between a synopsis and a protocol?
The synopsis is the summary document submitted for approval and registration — background, question, aims, methods, sample size, analysis outline and references, within the page limit set by the university. The protocol is the operational document the study is run from, containing the case record form, the consent and assent forms in the local language, the standard operating procedures for every measurement, the reading and scoring rules, the data dictionary and the full analysis plan. Approval is usually sought on the synopsis, but the ethics committee may ask for the protocol and the consent documents alongside it, and the thesis methods chapter is written from the protocol.
6. What ethics approval and consent does a paediatric pulmonology study need?
Consent and assent. Written informed consent is taken from a parent or legal guardian for every child. Written assent is taken in addition from the child from about seven years of age, in a simplified document in the local language, and a child who refuses assent is not enrolled even when the guardian has consented. For a record-based study with no contact and no identifiers leaving the department, a waiver of consent may be requested from the committee, with the reason stated.
No procedure for research alone. No chest radiograph, computed tomography, bronchoscopy or contrast study is performed for the study; only imaging ordered for clinical care is used, and this is stated explicitly, since paediatric radiation exposure is the point committees examine most closely. Where a research blood sample is unavoidable, the volume is capped and the cap is written into the protocol — not more than one per cent of total blood volume at a single draw and three per cent over four weeks, which for a fifteen kilogram child is roughly twelve millilitres and thirty-six millilitres respectively — and it is taken with a clinically indicated sample wherever possible. Induced sputum with hypertonic saline is a research procedure with a real risk of bronchoconstriction and requires pre-treatment with a bronchodilator, monitoring and a named person able to intervene.
Photographs, video and sleep recordings. Separate written consent is required for any photograph, video of respiratory effort, or video channel within a sleep study, with a stated purpose, a stated storage period and a separate tick for use in publication or teaching.
Incidental findings need a named pathway before recruitment. This subject generates them reliably: severe airflow obstruction on a screening spirometry, an unsuspected mediastinal or cardiac abnormality on a film being read for the study, a positive tuberculin or interferon test in a screened household contact, an unexpectedly low oxygen saturation, or a sleep study showing significant obstructive apnoea with desaturation in a child recruited as a control. The protocol names the consultant to whom the finding is reported, states that the family will be informed and referred within a defined period, and confirms that clinical care will not be withheld because the child is in a study.
7. Which spirometry details does a paediatric thesis have to specify?
The age floor. Reliable forced spirometry generally begins around five to six years, and it depends on the child, not only on the birthday. Below that, a proportion of children will never produce an acceptable manoeuvre, so a study recruiting from three years upwards must state the expected failure rate, describe those children in the results rather than dropping them silently, and consider reporting forced expiratory volume in three quarters of a second alongside the one second value, because young children empty their lungs before a second has passed.
Acceptability and repeatability, written out. The number of manoeuvres attempted, the criteria for a usable tracing, the repeatability limit between the best two efforts, and who judged the tracing. Without these, a low reading cannot be distinguished from a poor effort, and a thesis reporting restriction in undernourished children usually turns out to be reporting submaximal effort.
The reference equation, by name. Per cent predicted and z-scores are meaningless until the equation is named, because the same tracing yields different values under different equations and the widely used multi-ethnic equations carry no dedicated Indian module, so whichever module is chosen shifts every reading in the study in the same direction. State the equation in the methods and interpret consistently with it.
Two things borrowed from adult practice that do not apply. The fixed ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity used to define obstruction in adults is inappropriate in children, whose normal ratio is considerably higher; use the lower limit of normal from the chosen equation. And bronchodilator reversibility is interpreted against the current threshold expressed relative to predicted rather than the older change from baseline, which matters because a small child with a small baseline reaches a large percentage change very easily.
8. How does a PhD research proposal differ from an MD or DNB synopsis?
A PhD proposal is judged on originality and on the contribution the work will make to the field, and it is expected to run over three or more years with several linked studies, a mechanistic or longitudinal component, a detailed literature review establishing the gap, and often a funding plan and a publication strategy. An MD or DNB synopsis is judged on feasibility and training value: one clear question, one primary outcome, a design completable within the residency, and a demonstration that the candidate can carry out research correctly. A proposal written to PhD scale is frequently returned by a university thesis committee as too large for the period allowed.
9. When should the thesis topic be registered?
As early as the university permits, and usually within the first six months of the course. Institutional ethics committees meet at fixed intervals, revisions after the first review consume another cycle, and prospective trial registration must be completed before the first participant is enrolled. Working backwards from a submission deadline, a prospective study generally needs its approval in hand at least eighteen months before the thesis is due, so that recruitment, follow-up, analysis and writing all fit. Where approval has been delayed, a retrospective record-based design is the realistic alternative, since its cohort is already complete.
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