Study	Reason for exclusion
Esposito 2012	Not adult patients (paediatrics)
Heyland 2011	Meta‐analysis of previous RCTs
Jensen 2011	Not using procalcitonin to de‐escalate antibiotic therapy but for improving mortality by escalation of therapy
Jones 2007	Meta‐analysis of observational studies
Kook 2012	Not a RCT; before‐after study design
Liew 2011	Not a RCT
Maravić‐Stojković 2011	Not a LRTI
Qu 2012	Not a respiratory infection (pancreatitis)
Saeed 2011	Not a RCT
Schuetz 2010	Not a RCT; before‐after study design (post study survey)
Simmonds 2005	Meta‐analysis of observational studies
Simon 2004	Meta‐analysis of observational studies
Stocker 2010	Included a paediatric population only
Tang 2007	Meta‐analysis of observational studies
Tang 2009	Meta‐analysis of RCTs
Uzzan 2006	Meta‐analysis of observational studies

LRTI: lower respiratory tract infection RCTs: randomised controlled trials