The Economics of Rapid Diagnostics to Reduce Antibiotic Prescribing in NHS Wales (TRaDe)

This research will measure the value of diagnostic tests, which are quick and easy to perform, and help healthcare professionals identify whether the patient needs antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance is when bacteria change in ways that mean the medicines used to cure the infection no longer work. A growing number of infections, such as pneumonia, are becoming harder to treat, as the antibiotics used to treat them become less effective, leading to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and more death. It is the biggest threat to health worldwide.

Human behaviour plays a big part in the rise and spread of antibiotic resistance. Whilst antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, inappropriate use of antibiotics speeds this up. The Government have stressed an urgent need to improve access to tests that can help doctors decide if an antibiotic is necessary, but tests cost time and money.

They are not available in every GP practice and my previous work showed that where a test is available, use is not always as recommended. We need to understand why this is. Decisions may be being influenced by perceptions of benefits and risks, or by the way the test is delivered (eg. time you are willing to wait for the result).

This has an impact on health and value for money. A course of antibiotics may cost the NHS less than £1, tests are likely to cost an additional £10, but cost of treating an illness caused by over prescribing of antibiotics can be £8,000 per patient. These costs are incurred at different times, by different people, but all are connected to decisions about prescribing and global health.