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Simple test to cut antibiotic use

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Simple test to cut antibiotic use

Experts are calling for increased access to a simple test that could reduce prescriptions for antibiotics by 10 million a year.

The point of care (POC) C-reactive protein (CRP) test is a painless finger-stick blood sample test that helps GPs quickly determine whether a patient needs antibiotics for a respiratory tract infection. A report by a group of leading healthcare professionals and researchers estimates that POC CRP testing could save the NHS £56 million a year in prescription and dispensing costs alone, as well as reducing the number of antibiotic prescriptions by 10 million and helping to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

Professor Chris Butler, from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, said: “Increasing uptake of the POC CRP test into primary care will provide clinicians with additional diagnostic information to help them make crucial antibiotic prescribing decisions.”

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