Reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory infections could help prevent antimicrobial resistance and save the NHS up to £89 million

Implementation of point-of-care tests could support decisions on when antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory infections are necessary, saving money for the NHS and safeguarding the efficacy of common antibiotics. A study published in the Journal of Medical Economics demonstrates how the NHS could save up to £89 million by running point-of-care diagnostic tests to more clearly determine the appropriate treatment for acute respiratory infections. This could also act to prevent antimicrobial resistance, which can result from the overuse of antibiotics and threatens to lessen the power of antimicrobial medications against bacterial infections. The research team, led by John Schneider at Avalon...