This study explored how chest X-ray results influence antibiotic initiation by general practitioners in France when managing patients with suspected pneumonia. Study approach A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted with adult patients with suspected pneumonia who received chest X-rays as part of their evaluation. To analyze factors associated with antibiotic initiation, patients' characteristics were compared at inclusion and at 28 days between patients with positive chest X-rays (indicating pneumonia) and patients with negative chest X-ray results.
Main results The sample included 259 adult patients. The median age was 58 years, 120 (46.3%) were male, 249 (96.
1%) had not received antibiotics prior to inclusion, and 69 (26.7%) had at least one risk factor for pneumococcal disease. Related Stories Study shows RSV’s severe impact on US adults, urging more testing and vaccination Detection Technology launches advanced X-ray detector portfolio at RSNA 2024 New approach to stabilize RSV protein could lead to better vaccines Most of the general practitioners who included patients were women (55.
2 %; n = 153), with a median age of 39 years. 76.1% (n = 210) were general practitioner trainers.
55.6% of patients (144 out of 259) had positive chest X-ray results. Patients with positive chest X-ray results had higher body temperature, faster heart rate, faster breathing rate, more difficulty breathing, and more frequent unilateral chest pain than patients with negative X-ray .
