From Urgent Care to Smarter Care: Use Quick Tests to Fight Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics have revolutionized the drugs, saving countless lives by easily treating previously deadly bacterial infections. Today, however, their power is in serious danger. In the United States, nearly 3 million people experience infections that no longer respond to common antibiotics each year, thus more than 35,000 deaths. If there is a serious infection complication, e.g. Clostridium difficile (“C. diff”) infections (usually caused by antibiotic use) were included, with the annual charges increasing to nearly 48,000. “Most of this crisis stems from the immediate fact that in these cases, antibiotics are inappropriate, especially in urgent care clinics and emergency rooms, identifying patients’ disease is challenging. Response) is helping doctors make better treatment options and combat antibiotic resistance in the process.

Why overprescription is important to you

Certain antibiotics are only effective against specific bacteria – and rarely, if any, against viruses. But, as colds, flu, sinus infections and sore throats are all mixed in busy clinics, it can be challenging to distinguish where they are from based on symptoms alone. For safety reasons, or sometimes meeting the patient’s expectations of prescriptions – clinicians usually give antibiotics “just in case”. Over time, conditions such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) have emerged from this practice. These “super bacteria” are harder (and sometimes nearly impossible) to treat. Each unnecessary prescription not only puts individual patients at risk of drug side effects, but also weakens the system’s ability to fight bacterial diseases in the future.

How common are the problems?

This level of overuse promotes health care costs, fills hospitals with more difficult infections and puts an unfair burden on patients and clinicians who care about them.

Input multiple PCR: Faster, accurate, comprehensive diagnostic strategy

The PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test, originally developed in the 1980s, amplified tiny fragments of the biological genetic material so that they can be detected in patient samples. RT-PCR (Reverse transcriptase PCR) adds a step to convert RNA (the genetic material in many viruses) into DNA, allowing a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria and viral species. Multiple PCR is a process that samples from a given body part, with preset lists of viruses and bacteria based on the most common disease-causing organisms.

Speed ​​is the most important advantage. Traditional blood or sputum cultures may take several days to produce results, but RT-PCR can provide results in hours or even minutes due to newer techniques. A quick turnaround can help doctors know exactly what they are dealing with before posting potential inappropriate prescriptions.

There are other benefits of RT-PCR testing for infectious diseases

1. Targeted Therapy: Doctors can choose precise antibiotics targeting the biologically involved (or decide not to require antibiotics), rather than broad-spectrum antibiotics that try to kill “everything.”
2. Less unnecessary prescriptions: Studies show that antibiotic use drops (sometimes nearly half) when RT-PCR is available, as clinicians are more confident than prescribing antibiotics.
3. Lower health care costs: Despite the cost of testing itself, hospitals and clinics save money by avoiding expensive complications, repeated visits, readmissions, and the social costs of fighting infections.
4. Better results: Patients get proper treatment faster, recover faster, and avoid many of the side effects associated with inappropriate antibiotic treatment. A recent HealthTrackRX survey of more than 700 providers found that 98% believed RT-PCR improved the prognosis of patients, and nearly half said they appreciated the rapid and accurate diagnosis.

When RT-PCR makes sense

Not all sore throats or sniffing require RT-PCR tests before making a treatment decision. Clinicians can often use a step-by-step approach to decide on the test:

1. Preliminary evaluation: A doctor or nurse evaluates symptoms such as fever, cough and sore throat, as well as risk factors such as age or chronic disease.
2. Rapid Care Test: In a test room that eliminates or eliminates common infections, performs simple, cost-effective tests (e.g. for strep throat or flu).
3. RT-PCR test: If the diagnosis is unclear, especially in patients who are very ill, recently taken antibiotics or have other health problems, RT-PCR points out the microbial culprit within hours.

This sequence makes cost and wait times reasonable while still allowing access to advanced tests and appropriate treatments when it matters most.

Read the results carefully

Our bodies naturally contain many harmless bacteria and fungi. RT-PCR is so sensitive that these microorganisms that do not cause disease can be picked up. For example, someone may carry normal bacteria in the nose without causing sinus infection. To avoid dealing with these harmless “colonists”, laboratories often report the number of microorganisms found in samples. Higher levels may indicate actual infection, while very low levels usually indicate different causes. Doctors use these clues and the patient’s symptoms to decide whether treatment is indeed needed.

Overcome practice obstacles

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that RT-PCR can be rolled out quickly when needed, but it also highlights some of the challenges of using this test routinely:

• Training Provider: Clinicians need to guide the outcome of daily illness.
• Workflow Integration: The clinic must install the testing steps smoothly into a busy schedule to avoid prolonged waiting times and delays and to perform treatment when instructed.
• Insurance coverage: Reimbursement policies sometimes lag behind innovative technologies, which makes it difficult for clinicians to invest in useful diagnosis.

Patient education is equally important. Most people understand and support when doctors explain that waiting for precise tests can protect patients and communities from fighting infections.

Work together to achieve a healthier future

Antibiotic resistance is not a problem that any doctor, clinic or hospital system can solve separately. It requires cooperation:

• Healthcare organizations, adopt and fund new testing strategies.
• Diagnostics companies to continuously improve speed and ease of use.
• Policy makers and insurers to update reimbursement policies so they can access advanced testing.
• Patients need to understand why antibiotics are not always the best first step toward a disease.

By making RT-PCR testing a routine choice in outpatient and urgent care settings and by educating all stakeholders along clinical continuum – we can greatly reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, protect the effective drugs we still have, and ensure that bacterial infections can still be treated in future offspring. Antibiotics remain one of the biggest weapons in the drug struggle. With a shared commitment to more innovative diagnosis and wise use of antibiotics, we can extend their lives and protect future public health.

Photos: Kavan Image, Getty Image

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