Table 2.

The current primary care debate about CRP POC test utilization.

Current CRP POC Test Use:	Advantages	Disadvantages
Diagnostic uncertainty following clinical assessment	May be most efficient use when combined with education and communication training	Only influences decisions for patients who present diagnostic dilemma Does not provide definitive diagnostic answer like a molecular diagnostic test would Majority of physicians are confident in their clinical assessment, so will have limited impact in cases where physicians feel certain
Confirmatory test after decision to prescribe	Less reliant on clinical judgement—a simpler message Potentially large influence on prescribing patterns, particularly in high-prescribing countries Potentially improves physicians’ overall diagnostic accuracy through learning from additional information Easy to communicate to patient	Potentially redundant and unnecessary for high-confidence diagnoses, particularly in low-prescribing countries Obligatory testing may lead to physician perception that clinical assessment is not valued Physicians may feel undue pressure to conduct a CRP test Physician acceptance of a confirmatory test is challenging in some cultures/countries Patient acceptance may be difficult in countries where antibiotics are available without prescription