ArticleBJGP open2018
Point-of-care C-reactive protein to assist in primary care management of children with suspected non-serious lower respiratory tract infection: a randomised controlled trial.
Article in BJGP open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care C-reactive protein devices for acute respiratory tract infections.Infection · 2026Pooled it
- Biomarkers as point-of-care tests to guide prescription of antibiotics in people with acute respiratory infections in primary care.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- In-vitro diagnostic point-of-care tests in paediatric ambulatory care: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2020Pooled it
- Improved diagnostic management of children with acute infections following the introduction of point-of-care C-reactive protein testing and general practitioner education in Latvia: aScandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Trial
- ERS/ESCMID state-of-the-science statement on the role of rapid diagnostic tests for the diagnosis and management of community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections.The European respiratory journal · 2026Review
- Effect of a comprehensive package based on combined C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A point-of-care testing on antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections at village clinics in China: a cluster randomised controlled trial.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the implementation process of POC-CRP devices in managing adults with cough in general practice: insights from a focus group study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- Diagnostic testing and antibiotic stewardship for pneumonia in children worldwide: current developments and next steps.Current opinion in pediatrics · 2025Review
- Evaluation of utilisation and consequences of CRP point-of-care-testing in primary care practices: qualitative interviews with GPs from Germany.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Article
- Effect of Combination of Point-of-Care C-Reactive Protein Testing and General Practitioner Education and Long-Term Effect of Education on Reducing Antibiotic Prescribing for Children Presenting with Acute Infections in General Practice in Latvia: A Randomized Controlled Intervention Study.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The impact of C-reactive protein testing on treatment-seeking behavior and patients' attitudes toward their care in Myanmar and Thailand.Healthcare in low-resource settings · 2023Article
- C-reactive protein point-of-care testing and complementary strategies to improve antibiotic stewardship in children with acute respiratory infections in primary care.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
- The Impact of Point-of-Care Blood C-Reactive Protein Testing on Prescribing Antibiotics in Out-of-Hours Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Evaluation.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Article
- Latvian Primary Care Management of Children with Acute Infections: Antibiotic-Prescribing Habits and Diagnostic Process Prior to Treatment.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2021Article
- Point-of-Care C-Reactive Protein Testing to Reduce Antibiotic Prescribing for Respiratory Tract Infections in Primary Care: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Review
- Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in primary care: narrative review of C reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care testing (POCT) and antibacterial use in patients who present with symptoms of RTI.BMJ open respiratory research · 2020Review
- Burden of disease in children with respiratory tract infections in primary care: diary-based cohort study.Family practice · 2019Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOverprescription of antibiotics for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in children is common, partly due to diagnostic uncertainty, in which case the addition of point-of-care (POC) C-reactive protein (CRP) testing can be of aid.
aimTo assess whether use of POC CRP by the GP reduces antibiotic prescriptions in children with suspected non-serious LRTI. DESIGN &
settingAn open, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial in daytime general practice and out-of-hours services.
methodChildren between 3 months and 12 years of age with acute cough and fever were included and randomised to either use of POC CRP or usual care. Antibiotic prescription rates were measured and compared between groups using generalising estimating equations.
resultsThere was no statistically significant reduction in antibiotic prescriptions in the GP use of CRP group (30.9% versus 39.4%; odds ratio [OR] 0.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.29 to 1.23). Only the estimated severity of illness was related to antibiotic prescription. Forty-six per cent of children had POC CRP levels <10mg/L.
conclusionIt is still uncertain whether POC CRP measurement in children with non-serious respiratory tract infection presenting to general practice can reduce the prescription of antibiotics. Until new research provides further evidence, POC CRP measurement in these children is not recommended.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.