Can tests for inflammation help doctors decide whether to use antibiotics for airway infections?
Key messages
1. When a patient presents with symptoms of an airway infection at the doctor's office, the doctor's use of C-reactive protein point-of-care tests during the visit probably reduces the number of patients given an antibiotic prescription, without affecting patient recovery.
2. We do not know if procalcitonin point-of-care tests have an effect on antibiotic use or patient recovery.