Implementation of a rapid host-protein diagnostic test for distinguishing bacterial and viral infections in adults presenting to urgent care centers: a pragmatic cohort study

Background: Urgent care centers (UCCs) are a growing segment of healthcare with high rates of inappropriate antibiotic use. MeMed BV® (MMBV) is a blood test that differentiates bacterial from viral infections. Between April 2022 and March 2023, we introduced MMBV into routine care at ten UCCs. The primary objective was to assess MMBV’s impact on antibiotic use; the secondary objective was to assess whether MMBV aided in patient management. Methods: A pragmatic prospective cohort study. Physicians who ordered MMBV reported electronically (in real-time) whether they intended to prescribe antibiotics before ordering the test and upon UCC discharge whether MMBV aided in patient management. Hospitalizations were recorded for 7 days post-UCC discharge. Results: During implementation, 3920 MMBV tests were ordered for adults (age ≥ 18) by 144 physicians. The study cohort had 59% female patients and the median age was 42 years (IQR 31–58). For the primary objective, 3262 cases were included. MMBV indicated 629/3262 (19.3%) cases of potentially unwarranted antibiotics, of which physicians avoided prescriptions in 397/629 (63.1%). MMBV indicated 405/3262 (12.4%) cases of potentially missed bacterial infections. Physicians prescribed antibiotics to 283/405 (69.9%). MMBV adherence was associated with fewer hospitalizations (7.8% vs. 30.3%, p < 0.001). For the secondary objective, 2901 cases were included. Physicians reported MMBV aided patient management in 2494/2901 (86.0%) cases and contributed to avoiding emergency department referrals in 595/2901 (20.5%). Conclusions: Implementing MMBV aided urgent care center physicians in their clinical decision-making and may have contributed to appropriate antibiotic use, better resource utilization, and patient management.