[The practice guideline 'Sore throat' (second revision) from the Dutch College of General Practitioners; a response from the perspective of general practice].
Compared to the original version and the first revision of the practice guideline 'Sore throat', the second revision by the Dutch College of General Practitioners is clearer and gives practical advice on how to handle. In the Netherlands, most patients who visit their GP due to a sore throat expect antibiotics to be prescribed. Most of these patients will indeed receive a prescription for an antibiotic from their GP. One important lesson included in this guideline for GP daily practice is that it is no longer useful to distinguish between a viral or bacterial cause of the sore throat. Antibiotic treatment is only necessary for severe throat infections. Moreover, most cases of sore throat caused by group A betahaemolytic streptococci will cure spontaneously within one week. It is hoped that this guideline will act as a backup for practicing GPs to enforce critical prescription behaviour.
Eekhof
J A H
JA
Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, afd. Public Health en Eerstelijnsgeneeskunde, Postbus 9600, 2300 RC Leiden. j.a.h.eekhof@lumc.nl
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents