Volume 8, Issue 3: Acute Sore Throat

Acute Sore Throat – green with PenV?

Your morning Paramedic Clinic at the GP surgery has flown by and your last appointment is all that’s keeping you from a well-earned slice of cake. The patient complains of a very sore throat but is it a bacterial or a viral infection? They may expect a good ol’ course of antibiotics – how will you best assess and manage them?

This issue provides information on how to safely and effectively diagnose and manage patients who present with acute sore throat, exploring history taking, physical assessment and utilisation of clinical decision rules.

CPD Benefit

Acute sore throat is a very common presentation in Paramedic Clinics and is a key differential in feverish or generally unwell children and adults presenting to the ambulance service. The typical signs and symptoms can vary and cross over with other respiratory tract infections making it difficult to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and differentiate between bacterial and viral infections. In addition, patients may expect to be prescribed antibiotics despite good evidence suggesting such infections are commonly viral in nature.

This article will help you safely and effectively manage each patient by obtaining a thorough history, followed by a focused and site-specific inspection and palpation examination involving systematic assessment of the neck, mouth and ears. It also highlights how to incorporate clinical decision rules as an adjunct to your history and physical assessment.

Assessment Answers and References

You can check your answers to the quiz and download the references for this article by clicking the link below:

Standby CPD – Vol. 8 No. 3 – References

Standby CPD Volume 8 – Assessment Answers