(HealthDay News) -- A simple blood test may be able to help doctors determine which patients need antibiotics and which do not.
A new study published in the Sept. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that use of the test resulted in less antibiotic use.
If the protocol winds up in widespread use, it could significantly cut down on side effects associated with antibiotic use, not to mention slowing the spread of "killer" bacteria which become stubbornly resistant to these medications.
"It certainly holds a lot of promise," said Dr. Donald M. Yealy, co-author of an editorial accompanying the study and chair of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. "We need a way to make a better determination of need." Read more...
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