Research article
Diagnostic aid to rule out pneumonia in adults with cough and feeling of fever. A validation study in the primary care setting
1 Horten Center for Patient-oriented Research and Knowledge Transfer, University of Zurich, Postfach Nord, Pestalozzistrasse 24, Zurich CH-8091, Switzerland
2 Institute of General Practice and Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
3 Medix Gruppenpraxis, Rotbuchstrasse 46, Zurich, CH-8037, Switzerland
4 Praxisgemeinschaft Altstetten, Eugen Huber-Strasse 16, 8048, Zürich, Switzerland
BMC Infectious Diseases 2012, 12:355 doi:10.1186/1471-2334-12-355
Published: 17 December 2012Abstract
Background
We recently reported the derivation of a diagnostic aid to rule out pneumonia in adults presenting with new onset of cough or worsening of chronic cough and increased body temperature. The aim of the present investigation was to validate the diagnostic aid in a new sample of primary care patients.
Methods
From two group practices in Zurich, we included 110 patients with the main symptoms of cough and subjective feeling of increased body temperature, and C-reactive protein levels below 50 μg/ml, no dyspnea, and not daily feeling of increased body temperature since the onset of cough. We excluded patients who were prescribed antibiotics at their first consultation. Approximately two weeks after inclusion, practice assistants contacted the participants by phone and asked four questions regarding the course of their complaints. In particular, they asked whether a prescription of antibiotics or hospitalization had been necessary within the last two weeks.
Results
In 107 of 110 patients, pneumonia could be ruled out with a high degree of certainty, and no prescription of antibiotics was necessary. Three patients were prescribed antibiotics between the time of inclusion in the study and the phone interview two weeks later. Acute rhinosinusitis was diagnosed in one patient, and antibiotics were prescribed to the other two patients because their symptoms had worsened and their CRP levels increased. Use of the diagnostic aid could have missed these two possible cases of pneumonia. These observations correspond to a false negative rate of 1.8% (95% confidence interval: 0.50%-6.4%).
Conclusions
This diagnostic aid is helpful to rule out pneumonia in patients from a primary care setting. After further validation application of this aid in daily practice may help to reduce the prescription rate of unnecessary antibiotics in patients with respiratory tract infections.
