Working in partnership
Working in partnership
Pharmacists managing sore throats may wish to talk their strategy through with local GP practices.
How the local practices manage patients with sore throats, how they use clinical scoring systems (do they use FeverPAIN or CENTOR, for example), and what interventions they advise for symptomatic relief are all important issues.
Agreeing a common approach ensures that patients are not confused by variations in practice and will enhance consistency and continuity of care. This will also mean that there is a commonality of approach if patients wish to seek a further opinion with other primary care providers.
It may be that your local integrated care board or local primary care network have an agreed plan of work for this important area of antibiotic prescribing. Liaising with the local clinical leads, particularly those for antimicrobial stewardship, will be useful.