Objectives
Intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians stop antibiotics more often, with a negative infection: point-of-care test (PCR-POCT). Simulated cases of diagnostic uncertainty regarding infection resolution led clinicians to choose options such as procalcitonin (PCT) and/or PCR-POCTs +/– de-escalation to aid stop decisions. We hypothesised that a direct infection indicator, PCR-POCT, would influence stop judgements more than indirect PCT. Accordingly, we tested antibiotic-stop decisions when presented with a negative PCR-POCT despite borderline-positive PCT.
Designs
Observational prospective study.
Setting
ICU.
Participants
66 ICU clinicians from University hospitals.
Methods
Clinicians saw four scenarios of different clinico-biological trajectories: (1) clear improvement, (2) clear worsening, (3) discordant—clinically better/biologically worse and (4) discordant—clinically worse/biologically better. Participants gave an initial decision (stop/continue/continue–escalate/continue–de-escalate). Then PCR-POCT and/or PCT was offered (accept/decline). After a negative PCR-POCT and borderline-positive PCT result, a final antibiotic decision was taken.
Measures
Proportion of stop decisions before versus after test results per scenario. The association of the final decision with the clinician’s change in confidence, willingness to request the biomarker(s) and the case trajectory was determined.
Results
Fewer clinicians than expected stopped antibiotics versus baseline (36%, 94/264 vs 42%, 110/264, p=0.045). This was so in three of four scenarios, significantly less in the improvement (p