Point-of-care C-reactive protein testing in febrile children in general practice

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics
• Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Point-of-care testing for C-reactive protein (CRP) can aid in differentiating viral from bacterial infections.
• Accurate point-of-care CRP devices are needed for comparison with laboratory testing.
• Evaluation of point-of-care CRP tests in general practice settings is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate two point-of-care CRP tests, Nycocard and QuikRead.
• To compare their performance against a reference immunoturbidimetric assay.
• To assess their utility in febrile children in a general practice setting.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study of febrile children (3 months to 6 years) was conducted.
• Blood samples were collected within 24 hours of presentation to an out-of-hours general practice service.
• Nycocard tests were performed at home; QuikRead and reference tests were done in the laboratory.

Main Results:

• Fifty-nine children had all three CRP tests performed.
• The Nycocard test showed a mean difference of 0.6 mg/L compared to the reference test.
• The QuikRead test underestimated CRP concentrations above 60 mg/L, with a mean difference of -6.1 mg/L.

Conclusions:

• The Nycocard CRP test demonstrated good correlation with the reference assay up to 160 mg/L.
• The QuikRead test showed underestimation of CRP levels above 60 mg/L.
• The Nycocard test is a viable option for point-of-care CRP testing in general practice.