Pharmacy First: Sore throat — part 1

Key facts

• Around 90 per cent of sore throats that present in pharmacy will be caused by viral infection
• If the sore throat has lasted seven days or longer and shows no signs of settling, the patient should be referred
• Clinical scoring systems such as FeverPAIN for the Pharmacy First scheme have some predictive value for infections more likely to benefit from antibiotic treatment
• Examining a patient’s throat is a necessary part of using a clinical scoring system
• Streptococcal (bacterial) throat infections are more likely in children of school age 
• Antibiotics need careful targeting and even so, may have a limited effect on outcome (on average they reduce the duration of symptoms by about 16 hours) 
• Self-care with OTC analgesics and medicated lozenges are the mainstay of management for sore throats

Contributing authors: Professor Alison Blenkinsopp and Dr Martin Duerden