Impact on Patient Management of a Novel Host Response Test for Distinguishing Bacterial and Viral Infections: Real World Evidence from the Urgent Care Setting.

ABSTRACT: Antibiotic overuse and underuse are prevalent in urgent care settings, driven in part by diagnostic uncertainty. A host-based test for distinguishing bacterial and viral infections (MeMed BV) has been clinically validated previously. Here we examined how BV impacts antibiotic prescription in a real-world setting. The intention to treat with antibiotics before the receipt of a BV result was compared with practice after the receipt of a BV result at three urgent care centers. The analysis included 152 patients, 57.9% children and 50.7% female. In total, 131 (86.2%) had a bacterial or viral BV result. Physicians were uncertain about prescription for 38 (29.0%) patients and for 30 (78.9%) of these cases, subsequently acted in accordance with the BV result. Physicians intended to prescribe anti

SUBMITTER: Kalmovich B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10216409 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature