Effect of preconsultation screening with CRP on the rate of antibiotic prescription and referral to hospital
| Intervention group CRP pretested | No intervention CRP at request | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | Number of patients | Percentage (95% CI) | Number of patients | Percentage (95% CI) | p Value |
| All children n=397 | n=138 | n=259 | |||
| Prescription of antibiotics | 36 | 26 (19 to 34) | 57 | 22 (17 to 27) | 0.361 |
| Referral to hospital | 7 | 5 (1 to 9) | 24 | 9 (6 to 13) | 0.138 |
| OOH services n=230 | n=79 | n=151 | |||
| Prescription of antibiotics | 25 | 32 (21 to 42) | 38 | 25 (18 to 32) | 0.295 |
| Referral to hospital | 4 | 5 (0 to 10) | 12 | 8 (4 to 12) | 0.414 |
| Paediatric emergency clinic n=167 | n=59 | n=108 | |||
| Prescription of antibiotics | 11 | 19 (8 to 29) | 19 | 18 (10 to 25) | 0.866 |
| Referral to hospital | 3 | 5 (−1) to 11) | 12 | 11 (5 to 17) | 0.193 |
CRP, C reactive protein; OOH, out-of-hours.