Point-of-care C-reactive protein testing in general practice out-of-hours services: tool or trap?

Addressing the overuse of antibiotics is an international priority.Antibiotic use is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), estimated to account for 4.95 million deaths per year globally. 1Much of the UK primary care prescribing of antibiotics happens within general practice out-of-hours services (defined as unscheduled, urgent primary care, occurring outwith normal office hours).In this setting a high proportion of consultations result in an antibiotic prescription, with 59% of these being prescribed for respiratory tract infections. 2 This high use of antibiotics in GP outof-hours is unsurprising but concerning.Consultations in GP out-of-hours often involve high-risk decision-making; patients have a higher prevalence of acute illness, and clinicians have limited access to medical information, laboratory results, or prior knowledge of the patient. 3,4Patients often travel long distances for care, 5 and may attend appointments with expectations of antibiotic prescribing.