title: Does paracetamol help or hinder healing in bacterial infections?
abstract: Community nursing teams, alongside other primary care services and nurses in working in community hospitals, are caring for people who are older, sicker and require more complex care. The nurse's ability to use evidence to make informed judgements is vitally important to patient care. Nurses often give paracetamol that is prescribed on an 'as required' basis to patients with bacterial infections who are pyrexial. This practice is supported by guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence and the British National Formulary. This article reviews the evidence and suggests that the administration of paracetamol in people with pyrexia should be reconsidered and given on an individualised basis rather than as a routine.
authors.affiliation: Nurse Consultant and Clinical Lead, Community IV Services, Ealing NHS Trust.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nazarko
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058633:Antipyretics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D058633:Antipyretics; D000082:Acetaminophen
keywords: Bacterial infection; Evidence-based practice; Fever; Immune response; Paracetamol