The budget impact of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic stewardship compared to standard of care for patients with suspected sepsis admitted to the intensive care unit in Belgium.

In Belgium, antibiotic resistance leads to approximately 530 deaths with a €24 million financial burden annually. This study estimated the impact of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic stewardship programs to reduce antibiotic consumption versus standard of care in patients with suspected sepsis. A decision analytic tree modelled health and budget outcomes of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic stewardship programs for patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). A literature search, a survey with local clinical experts, and national database searches were conducted to obtain model input parame... Mehr ...