ArticleBMJ open2021
Role of point-of-care tests in the management of febrile children: a qualitative study of hospital-based doctors and nurses in England.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- 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
- The Use of Point-of-Care Tests and Multiplex PCR Tests in the Pediatric Emergency Department Reduces Antibiotic Prescription in Patients with Febrile Acute Respiratory Infections.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Adoption of C-reactive protein rapid tests for the management of acute childhood infections in hospitals in the Netherlands and England: a comparative health systems analysis.BMC health services research · 2024Article
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- Point-of-care testing in a high-income country paediatric emergency department: a qualitative study in Sweden.BMJ open · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe use of rapid point-of-care tests (POCTs) has been advocated for improving patient management and outcomes and for optimising antibiotic prescribing. However, few studies have explored healthcare workers' views about their use in febrile children. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of hospital-based doctors and nurses regarding the use of POCTs in England. STUDY
designQualitative in-depth interviews with purposively selected hospital doctors and nurses. Data were analysed thematically.
settingTwo university teaching hospitals in London and Newcastle.
participants24 participants (paediatricians, emergency department doctors, trainee paediatricians and nurses).
resultsThere were diverse views about the use of POCTs in febrile children. The reported advantages included their ease of use and the rapid availability of results. They were seen to contribute to faster clinical decision-making; the targeting of antibiotic use; improvements in patient care, flow and monitoring; cohorting (ie, the physical clustering of hospitalised patients with the same infection to limit spread) and enhancing communication with parents. These advantages were less evident when the turnaround for results of laboratory tests was 1-2 hours. Factors such as clinical experience and specialty, as well as the availability of guidelines recommending POCT use, were also perceived as influential. However, in addition to their perceived inaccuracy, participants were concerned about POCTs not resolving diagnostic uncertainty or altering clinical management, leading to a commonly expressed preference for relying on clinical skills rather than test results solely.
conclusionIn this study conducted at two university teaching hospitals in England, participants expressed mixed opinions about the utility of current POCTs in the management of febrile children. Understanding the current clinical decision-making process and the specific needs and preferences of clinicians in different settings will be critical in ensuring the optimal design and deployment of current and future tests.
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