Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Pharyngitis also known as sore throat is a common, predominately viral, self-limiting condition which can be symptomatically managed without antibiotic treatment.
Inappropriate antibiotic use for pharyngitis contributes to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. However, a small proportion of sore throats caused by group A streptococcal GAS infection may benefit from the provision of antibiotics.
Establishing the cause of infection is therefore an important step in effective antibiotic stewardship. Point-of-care POC tests, where results are available within minutes, can distinguish between viral and GAS pharyngitis and can therefore guide treatment in primary healthcare settings such as community pharmacies, which are often the first point of contact with the healthcare system.
In this opinion article, the evidence for the use of POC testing in the community pharmacy has been discussed. Evidence suggests that pharmacy POC testing can promote appropriate antibiotic use and reduce the need for general practitioner consultations. Despite these challenges, POC testing for pharyngitis has become widely available in pharmacies in some countries and may represent a strategy to contain antibiotic resistance and contribute to antimicrobial stewardship.
Keywords: antimicrobial stewardship, pharyngitis, upper-respiratory tract infections, viral infections, bacterial infections, point-of-care testing, pharmacy, antimicrobial resistance, streptococcal infections, antibiotics. Pharyngitis, also known as sore throat, is one of the most common reasons for which patients present to their general practitioner GP [ 1 ].
