From MedPage Today via KevinMD:
Rapid viral diagnostic testing did not reduce the burden of treating children with respiratory symptoms and fever in the emergency department, according to a Cochrane Review meta-analysis.
Pooling the results of four trials, researchers found a significant reduction in the use of chest radiography (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.91), but the reduction was short of the 25% deemed clinically meaningful, according to Quynh Doan, MDCM, of British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, and colleagues.
There was no effect on the primary outcome — antibiotic use — or on other secondary outcomes such as blood and urine testing, length of ED stay, or postdischarge visits to a primary care physician or ED.
However, there were trends toward a benefit from rapid viral testing for most outcomes, and the researchers said the results might not have reached statistical significance because of a lack of power.
“Current evidence is insufficient, although promising, to support routine rapid viral testing as a means to reduce antibiotic use in pediatric EDs,” they said. “A large trial addressing these outcome measures is needed.”
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