Use of point-of-care biomarkers to reduce antibiotic resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is a major issue globally, with the highest prevalence of resistance in low-income settings. 1 Antimicrobial Resistance CollaboratorsGlobal burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2022; 399: 629-655 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1845) Google Scholar Resistance threatens the effective prevention and treatment of a broad range of infections and is projected to be associated with an estimated 10 million deaths annually by 2050. 2 Strathdee SA Davies SC Marcelin JR Confronting antimicrobial resistance beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US election. Lancet. 2020; 396: 1050-1053 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar The over-prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics in both hospitals and primary care has become a global threat, and reducing unnecessary antibiotic use is crucial to help to control resistance. 1 Antimicrobial Resistance CollaboratorsGlobal burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2022; 399: 629-655 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1845) Google Scholar , 2 Strathdee SA Davies SC Marcelin JR Confronting antimicrobial resistance beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US election. Lancet. 2020; 396: 1050-1053 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar , 3 Nguyen NV Do NTT Vu DTV et al. Outpatient antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections in Vietnamese primary care settings by the WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch and Reserve) classification: an analysis using routinely collected electronic prescription data. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2022; 30100611 Google Scholar Implementation of point-of-care testing of C-reactive protein concentrations to improve antibiotic targeting in respiratory illness in Vietnamese primary care: a pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trialUse of point-of-care CRP testing efficaciously reduced prescription of antibiotics in patients with non-severe acute respiratory infections in primary health care in Viet Nam without compromising patient recovery. The low uptake of CRP testing suggests that barriers to implementation and compliance need to be addressed before scale-up of the intervention. Full-Text PDF Open Access