Limiting the use of antibiotics for sore throats

Decisions about the use of antibiotics need to be based on sound evidence to stem the growing number of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

That is the message in this month’s issue of Emergency Nurse, in an article written by Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust emergency practitioner Ann Wilkinson.

She said sore throat is a common presentation in primary and urgent care services, concluding: ‘Most sore throats are viral in origin, self-limiting and do not require treatment with antibiotics. It is important to inform patients about this, although every case should be considered individually.’

The article offers a case study to explore the treatment of patients with sore throat who present to minor injury settings and describes some ‘red flag’ presentations. It also discusses the pros and cons of prescribing antibiotics for sore throat, and describes some scoring systems that can help differentiate between bacterial and viral throat infections.

Read the article

Use of antibiotics in the management of sore throat