Effect of CRP and SAA Point-of-care Testing on Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory-tract Infections
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: CRP+SAA POCT.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory-tract Infections. Basic parameters: No limits · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- China
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Effect of C-reactive Protein and Serum Amyloid a Point-of-care Testing on Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory-tract Infections At Village Clinics in China: a Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
Overview
The study was a practical, cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of CRP and SAA point-of-care testing (CRP\&SAA POCT) on antibiotic prescribing in patients with acute respiratory-tract infections (ARI) at primary care facilities in rural China.
Detailed description
The study was a practical, cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of CRP and SAA point-of-care testing (CRP\&SAA POCT) on antibiotic prescribing in patients with acute respiratory-tract infections (ARI) at primary care facilities in rural China. The study includes two arms, in which CRP\&SAA POCT will be provided in 20 village clinics in the intervention arm. Additional physician training on the use of CRP\&SAA POCT (including centralized training, distribution of physician training manuals, and desk reminders) and patient education sheets (to help patients understand the help of CRP\&SAA POCT in guiding their care) will also be provided；The control arm will not receive any intervention and will serve as the control (usual care). The primary outcome is the proportion of patients who are diagnosed with ARIs and prescribed antibiotics during their initial visit (defined as no prescription record at the current institution within the preceding 14 days) in both study arms.
Interventions
- Device CRP+SAA POCT
CRP+SAA POCT will be provided in 20 village clinics in the intervention group
Primary outcome measures
- The primary outcome is the proportion of patients who are diagnosed with ARIs and prescribed antibiotics during their initial visit (defined as no prescription record at the current institution within the preceding 14 days) in both study arms. [Time frame: between the start of intervention and 6 months of follow-up]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
- The proportion of multiple antibiotic prescriptions in the intervention and control arms. [Time frame: between the start of intervention and 6 months of follow-up]
- The intravenously injected antibiotic prescription rate [Time frame: between the start of intervention and 6 months of follow-up]
- The proportion containing any Traditional Chinese Medicines. [Time frame: between the start of intervention and 6 months of follow-up]
- The mean cost of an ARI prescription [Time frame: between the start of intervention and 6 months of follow-up]
- The mean cost of a consultation [Time frame: between the start of intervention and 6 months of follow-up]
Eligibility criteria
Eligibility criteria for clusters Village clinics with an annual outpatient volume exceeding 2000, an average of 10 or more patients per week presenting with ARIs, and licensed prescribers are considered eligible for selection for the intervention. Annual outpatient prescriptions and average weekly visits for ARIs will be verified by obtaining prescription data from all village clinics for the previous year, as documented in the information section of the local health board.
Eligibility criteria for participants The target population of this study included (1) patients of all ages diagnosed by a village doctor with ARIs (including upper and lower respiratory infections); and (2) patients who present with ≥1 acute respiratory symptoms (including cough, rhinitis (sneezing, nasal congestion or runny nose), sore throat, shortness of breath, wheezing or abnormal auscultation). Patients with non-respiratory diseases or those with severe clinical symptoms requiring referral to a higher-level institution are excluded from the target population.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
China · 1 center
- 40 Village Clinics — Xiantao
Publications
- Xu M, Wang J, Zhang Z, Ge E, Zhu Y, Li J, Gong Y, Lu Z, Wei X, Yin X. Effect of a comprehensive package based on combined C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A point-of-care testing on antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections at village clinics in China: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. 2026 May 25;71:101888. doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2026.101888 PMID 42239972
- Xu M, Zhang Z, Ge E, Xie CX, Bai X, Zhu Y, Kuang G, Li J, Wang J, Wei X, Yin X. Effect of C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A point-of-care testing on antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory-tract infections at village clinics in China: A study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial. PLoS One. 2025 Sep 8;20(9):e0331646. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0331646. eCollection 2025. PMID 40920832
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06568432 · HuazhongU20240822