Clinicians have been ordered to get tough with patients demanding antibiotics for sore throats.
Doctors and pharmacists should take a direct approach and tell their patients that most sore throats do not need antibiotics, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says today.
Some 27% of GP appointments for respiratory tract infections are for sore throat – and NICE says that patients get antibiotic prescriptions in 60% of cases.
Its guidance issued today says healthcare professionals can tell patients that paracetamol and ibuprofen will help them manage their symptoms.
Medicated lozenges with a local anaesthetic, an NSAID or an antiseptic may also help, it says, by only “by a small amount.”
Professor Cliodna McNulty, head of the primary care unit at Public Health England backed the advice.
She said: “Antibiotics are a precious resource and it’s important that they are only used when they are really needed. For a sore throat, evidence shows that antibiotics make little difference to length or severity of illness, unless symptoms are much more severe.
“While a sore throat can be painful, there are other ways to control the symptoms including taking paracetamol and medicated lozenges.”
Professor Gillian Leng, from NICE, said: “We are living in a world where bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. It is vital these medicines are protected, and only used when they are effective.”
The guidance was backed by the Royal College of GPs.
Chair Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard said: “The RCGP has worked with Public Health England to develop the TARGET Antibiotics toolkit to support GPs and other healthcare professionals in the appropriate prescribing of antibiotics.”
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