ReviewBMJ open respiratory research2020
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.
Review in BMJ open respiratory research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 2 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
43 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Point-of-care tests to manage acute respiratory tract infections in primary care: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis of healthcare professional and patient views.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of national interventions and policies to optimize antibiotic use in healthcare settings in England.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2024Pooled it
- Use of the FebriDx® host-response point-of-care test may reduce antibiotic use for respiratory tract infections in primary care: a mixed-methods feasibility study.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2024Trial
- Effects of C-reactive protein rapid testing and communication skills training on antibiotic prescribing for acute cough. A cluster factorial randomised controlled trial.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2024Trial
- Article
- 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
- How to identify respiratory pathogens in primary health care - a review on the benefits, prospects and pitfalls in using point of care tests.Infection · 2025Review
- Factors influencing inappropriate antibiotic prescription in respiratory tract infections in general practice.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Evaluation of utilisation and consequences of CRP point-of-care-testing in primary care practices: qualitative interviews with GPs from Germany.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Community pharmacy-led point-of-care testing (POCT): expanding roles and strengthening health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
- Correlation Between Inflammatory Markers and Pathogenic Bacteria in Children's Winter Respiratory Infections in Xinjiang.International journal of general medicine · 2025Article
- Use of the FebriDx point-of-care test for lower respiratory tract infections in primary care: a qualitative interview study.BJGP open · 2024Article
- 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
- Trends in C reactive protein testing: a retrospective cohort study in paediatric ambulatory care settings.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Sustainable solutions to barriers of point-of-care diagnostic testing services in health facilities without laboratories in the bono region, Ghana: a qualitative study.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Review
- Performance evaluation of the LumiraDx quantitative microfluidic point-of-care CRP test.Practical laboratory medicine · 2024Article
- The Feasibility of C-Reactive Protein Point-of-Care Testing to Reduce Overuse of Antibiotics in Children with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Rural Kyrgyzstan: A Pilot Study.Pediatric health, medicine and therapeutics · 2024Article
- C-reactive protein point-of-care testing in primary care-broader implementation needed to combat antimicrobial resistance.Frontiers in public health · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to be a global problem and continues to be addressed through national strategies to improve diagnostics, develop new antimicrobials and promote antimicrobial stewardship. Patients who attend general (ambulatory) practice with symptoms of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are invariably assessed by some sort of clinical decision rule (CDR). However, CDRs rely on a cluster of non-specific clinical observations. A narrative review of the literature was undertaken to ascertain the value of C reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care testing (POCT) to guide antibacterial prescribing in adult patients presenting to general practitioner (GP) practices with symptoms of RTI. Studies that were included were Cochrane reviews, systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials, cluster randomised trials, controlled before and after studies, cohort studies and economic evaluations. An overwhelming number of studies demonstrated that the use of CRP tests in patients presenting with RTI symptoms reduces index antibacterial prescribing. GPs and patients report a good acceptability for a CRP POCT and economic evaluations show cost-effectiveness of CRP POCT over existing RTI management in primary care. POCTs increase diagnostic precision for GPs in the better management of patients with RTI. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, patients will expect greater precision in diagnosing and managing their illnesses. Adopting systems that markedly reduce antibiotic consumption is a no-brainer for governments that are struggling to address the rise in AMR.
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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.