When to refer
Get your pharmacist involved if a customer reports any of the following:
- A high temperature (above 38°C) that does not respond to medication, such as paracetamol
- Very severe pain
- Breathing problems
- Difficulty swallowing that means dehydration is a possibility
- A muffled voice
- A high-pitched noise when breathing (this is known as stridor)
- Drooling
- A sore throat that has not improved after a week.
Certain patient groups should also always be referred because they are more at risk of complications:
- Anyone with HIV, AIDS, leukaemia, or aplastic anaemia
- Anyone with diabetes
- Individuals with a spleen that has been removed or does not work properly
- Any patient on chemotherapy, immunosuppressants (most commonly because of an organ transplant) or on a medicine that can cause blood disorders (e.g. neutropenia and agranulocytosis).