Introduction & module overview
Introduction & module overview
Community pharmacy teams have advised about sore throats for many years. The NHS wants to see more episodes of care completed by pharmacists as part of its strategy for managing demand in primary care. Sore throat is one of the most common reasons why patients see a GP.
This module will enhance existing knowledge and help expand pharmacists’ clinical role in this area. Drawing on the NICE Sore throat (acute): antimicrobial prescribing guideline [NG84] and the Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) acute sore throat guideline, it will support decision-making about when a sore throat might benefit from antibiotics and when referral is needed.
Around 90 per cent of sore throats are caused by viral infection. It can be difficult to differentiate between viral and bacterial infections; the majority of both are self-limiting. Sore throat is one of the main reasons for prescribing antibiotics but even where there is bacterial infection, antibiotics can make little difference to the outcome and are unnecessary in most cases.
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