Acute respiratory infections make up a sizable percentage of emergency department (ED) visits and many result in antibiotics being prescribed. Procalcitonin (PCT) has been found to reduce antibiotic use in both outpatient and critical care settings, yet remains underused in the ED. This study aimed to evaluate whether point of care molecular influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) testing, PCT, and a pharmacist driven educational intervention in aggregate optimizes antibiotic and antiviral prescribing in the ED setting.

A randomized trial of the Cobas Liat Flu/RSV Assay, procalcitonin, and the use of pharmacist-led education in patients 0–50 years of age being seen in the ED for Influenza Like Illness (ILI) or acute respiratory illness. The study enrolled 200 ED patients between March 2018 and April 2022.

There was little difference in antibiotic or antiviral prescribing between the intervention and control groups in this study (39%–32% = 7.0%, 95% CI: −6.2, 20.2, P = 0.30). However, a post-hoc analysis of the use of procalcitonin showed results were used as indicated in the ED (P = 0.001).

PCT can be used in both adult and pediatric populations to help guide the decision of whether to treat with antibiotics in the ED setting. Pharmacist guided education may not be a driving factor.