Imperial College London
Dr Ian Maconochie

DrIanMaconochie

Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Disease

Professor of Practice (Paediatric Emergency Medicine)
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 3312 3729i.maconochie

 
 
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Location

 

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Wing (QEQM)St Mary's Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Li:2021:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044510,
author = {Li, E and Dewez, JE and Luu, Q and Emonts, M and Maconochie, I and Nijman, R and Yeung, S},
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044510},
journal = {BMJ Open},
title = {Role of point-of-care tests in the management of febrile children: a qualitative study of hospital-based doctors and nurses in England},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044510},
volume = {11},
year = {2021}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Objectives The use of rapid point-of-care tests (POCTs) has been advocated for improving patient management and outcomes and for optimising antibiotic prescribing. However, few studies have explored healthcare workers’ views about their use in febrile children. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of hospital-based doctors and nurses regarding the use of POCTs in England.Study design Qualitative in-depth interviews with purposively selected hospital doctors and nurses. Data were analysed thematically.Setting Two university teaching hospitals in London and Newcastle.Participants 24 participants (paediatricians, emergency department doctors, trainee paediatricians and nurses).Results There were diverse views about the use of POCTs in febrile children. The reported advantages included their ease of use and the rapid availability of results. They were seen to contribute to faster clinical decision-making; the targeting of antibiotic use; improvements in patient care, flow and monitoring; cohorting (ie, the physical clustering of hospitalised patients with the same infection to limit spread) and enhancing communication with parents. These advantages were less evident when the turnaround for results of laboratory tests was 1–2 hours. Factors such as clinical experience and specialty, as well as the availability of guidelines recommending POCT use, were also perceived as influential. However, in addition to their perceived inaccuracy, participants were concerned about POCTs not resolving diagnostic uncertainty or altering clinical management, leading to a commonly expressed preference for relying on clinical skills rather than test results solely.Conclusion In this study conducted at two university teaching hospitals in England, participants expressed mixed opinions about the utility of current POCTs in the management of febrile children. Understanding the current clinical decision-making process and the specific needs and preferences of clinici
AU  - Li,E
AU  - Dewez,JE
AU  - Luu,Q
AU  - Emonts,M
AU  - Maconochie,I
AU  - Nijman,R
AU  - Yeung,S
DO  - 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044510
PY  - 2021///
SN  - 2044-6055
TI  - Role of point-of-care tests in the management of febrile children: a qualitative study of hospital-based doctors and nurses in England
T2  - BMJ Open
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044510
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/89204
VL  - 11
ER  -
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