Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41732193›Full record

ArticleEClinicalMedicine2026

Impact of molecular point-of-care testing for respiratory pathogens on antibiotic use and clinical outcomes in acute respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Qinyuan Li, Qi Zhou, Jiangbo Fan, Xifeng Feng, Honghao Lai, Yaolong Chen, Zhikang Ye, Fujian Song, Jiao Liu, Dechang Chen and 10 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Qinyuan LiDepartment of Respiratory Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Children and Adolescents' Health and Diseases, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Rare Diseases in Infection and Immunity, International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China.
Qi ZhouEvidence-Based Medicine Centre, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Jiangbo FanDepartment of Trauma Medical Centre, Daping Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Xifeng FengDepartment of Trauma Medical Centre, Daping Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Honghao LaiDepartment of Health Policy and Health Management, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Yaolong ChenChevidence Lab Child & Adolescent Health, Department of Paediatric Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Zhikang YeDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Fujian SongNorwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
Jiao LiuDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Dechang ChenDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Rui KangDepartment of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Centre, Dallas, TX, USA.
Daolin TangDepartment of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Centre, Dallas, TX, USA.
Jean-Louis TeboulFaculté de Médecine Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.
Jean-Francois TimsitAssistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Medical and Infectious Diseases Intensive Care Unit, Bichat Claude-Bernard Hospital, Paris Cité University, 46 Rue Henri Huchard, Paris, France.
Antoni TorresPulmonology Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Ciberes, IDIBAPS, ICREA, Barcelona, Spain.
Jan J De WaeleDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium.
Jordi CarratalàDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Jianxin JiangDepartment of Trauma Medical Centre, Daping Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Zhengxiu LuoDepartment of Respiratory Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Children and Adolescents' Health and Diseases, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Rare Diseases in Infection and Immunity, International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China.
Ling ZengDepartment of Trauma Medical Centre, Daping Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Trauma and Chemical Poisoning, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Molecular point-of-care testing (mPOCT) offers rapid identification of respiratory pathogens, but its impact on antibiotic use and patient outcomes remains uncertain. We aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of mPOCT on antibiotic use and major clinical outcomes in patients presenting with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CNKI, and Wanfang Data from inception to July 1, 2025, for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating mPOCT for patients presenting with ARTIs (PROSPERO CRD420251069333). The primary outcome was antibiotic use, assessed using pooled risk ratio (RR) with random-effects models. Risk of bias and certainty of evidence were assessed using the Risk Of Bias instrument for Use in SysTematic reviews-for Randomised Controlled Trials (ROBUST-RCT) and core Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), respectively. Findings: We included 25 RCTs involving 12,638 patients, of whom 61.0% were adults. Overall, mPOCT probably had little to no important effect on antibiotic use (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90-1.00; moderate certainty) or treatment duration (mean difference -0.44 days, 95% CI -0.98 to 0.09; moderate certainty). In adults, high-certainty evidence showed no effect on antibiotic use (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.98-1.02), whereas in children, low-certainty evidence suggested a potential reduction (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65-0.97). Although mPOCT increased appropriate antibiotic prescribing (RR 2.07, 95% CI 1.55-2.77; moderate certainty), it did not affect 30-day mortality (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.82-1.15; high certainty) and intensive care unit admission (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.65-1.25; high certainty). Interpretation: Moderate to high certainty evidence suggests that mPOCT does not meaningfully reduce overall antibiotic use or improve patient outcomes, particularly in adults, despite enhancing prescribing appropriateness. Routine use of mPOCT for adults with ARTIs is therefore not supported. Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Postdoctoral Science Foundation, the Chongqing Municipality Joint Science and Health Major Medical Research Project, Outstanding Youth in Science and Technology, the Chongqing Youth Talent Fund, and the Research Foundation Flanders.

Indexed as

Antibiotic stewardshipMolecular diagnosticsMultiplex PCRPoint-of-careRapid testRespiratory tract infections

Identifiers

PMID41732193
PMCPMC12925124

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.