ArticlePloS one2019
The cost impact of PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship versus usual care for hospitalised patients with suspected sepsis or lower respiratory tract infections in the US: A health economic model analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06945510 (A Multi-center Study to Evaluate the Economic and Clinical Impact of PCT Guided Antibiotics Use in Critically Ill Adult Patients in China.), which is not on this map. Cited by 25 papers, 6 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.
A Multi-center Study to Evaluate the Economic and Clinical Impact of PCT Guided Antibiotics Use in Critically Ill Adult Patients in China.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Economic Evaluation of Interventions to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance: A Systematic Literature Review of Methods.PharmacoEconomics · 2025Pooled it
- Ceftazidime with avibactam for treating severe aerobic Gram-negative bacterial infections: technology evaluation to inform a novel subscription-style payment model.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2024Pooled it
- Cefiderocol for treating severe aerobic Gram-negative bacterial infections: technology evaluation to inform a novel subscription-style payment model.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2024Pooled it
- Costs-effectiveness and cost components of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions affecting antibiotic resistance outcomes in hospital patients: a systematic literature review.BMJ global health · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic literature review of economic evaluation studies of interventions impacting antimicrobial resistance.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2023Pooled it
- Economic Analyses of Respiratory Tract Infection Diagnostics: A Systematic Review.PharmacoEconomics · 2021Pooled it
- Cost-effectiveness analysis of procalcitonin and lung ultrasonography guided antibiotic prescriptions in primary care.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2025Trial
- Enhanced Detection of Community-Acquired Pneumonia Pathogens With the BioFire® Pneumonia FilmArray® Panel.Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease · 2021Trial
- The Role and Importance of Procalcitonin (PCT) Testing in Rational Antibiotic Prescribing and Antibiotic Stewardship Programs.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Review
- Clinical Impact of Droplet Digital PCR-Guided Antibiotic Stewardship on Prognosis in Patients with Suspected Bloodstream Infection: A Prospective Observational Study.Infectious diseases and therapy · 2026Article
- Feasibility analysis of pharmacy practice based on the evidence-based pharmacy model in the treatment of patients with severe pneumonia.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- Enhancing sepsis biomarker development: key considerations from public and private perspectives.Critical care (London, England) · 2024Review
- Procalcitonin Guided Antibiotic Stewardship.Biomarker insights · 2024Review
- Article
- Practical Concerns about the Metrics and Methods of Financial Outcome Measurement in Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs: A Narrative Review.Iranian journal of medical sciences · 2022Review
- A study on biomarkers of sepsis and potential role of procalcitonin and ferritin marker in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2022Article
- Baseline procalcitonin as a predictor of bacterial infection and clinical outcomes in COVID-19: A case-control study.PloS one · 2022Observational
- Article
- Diagnostic Testing for Sepsis: A Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Cost impact of procalcitonin-guided decision making on duration of antibiotic therapy for suspected early-onset sepsis in neonates.Critical care (London, England) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundProcalcitonin is a biomarker that supports clinical decision-making on when to initiate and discontinue antibiotic therapy. Several cost (-effectiveness) analyses have been conducted on Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic stewardship, but none mainly based on US originated data.
objectiveTo compare effectiveness and costs of a Procalcitonin-algorithm versus standard care to guide antibiotic prescription for patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of suspected sepsis or lower respiratory tract infection in the US.
methodsA previously published health economic decision model was used to compare the costs and effects of Procalcitonin-guided care. The analysis considered the societal and hospital perspective with a time horizon covering the length of hospital stay. The main outcomes were total costs per patient, including treatment costs and productivity losses, the number of patients with antibiotic resistance or C.difficile infections, and costs per antibiotic day avoided.
resultsProcalcitonin -guided care for hospitalized patients with suspected sepsis and lower respiratory tract infection is associated with a reduction in antibiotic days, a shorter length of stay on the regular ward and the intensive care unit, shorter duration of mechanical ventilation, and fewer patients at risk for antibiotic resistant or C.difficile infection. Total costs in the Procalcitonin-group compared to standard care were reduced by 26.0% in sepsis and 17.7% in lower respiratory tract infection (total incremental costs of -$11,311 per patient and -$2,867 per patient respectively).
conclusionsUsing a Procalcitonin-algorithm to guide antibiotic use in sepsis and hospitalised lower respiratory tract infection patients is expected to generate cost-savings to the hospital and lower rates of antibiotic resistance and C.difficile infections.
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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.