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NICE advocates point-of-care testing in pneumonia

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NICE advocates point-of-care testing in pneumonia

Recent NICE guidance on pneumonia advocates point-of- care testing for C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, to determine whether a person with a chest infection requires antibiotics. “This is a major step forward in the fight against antimicrobial resistance,” says Jonathan Cooke, visiting professor in infectious diseases at Imperial College London. “There is extensive clinical evidence that CRP testing for patients who present to primary care with respiratory tract infections improves clinical practice and reduces antibiotic prescribing by up to 36 per cent”. Professor Cooke adds that such testing can also help “reassure patients” who do not need antibiotics.

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