Group A Strep Pharyngitis, also known as Strep Throat. In addition to symptomatic presentation, a rapid antigen detection test can be done at point-of-care with a throat swab. This is a great expanding area for pharmacists in the retail/community setting too! If positive, no culture is needed, and patients should be prescribed one of the treatment options recommended by IDSA. That's because this test is highly SPECIFIC (see older post regarding specificity vs sensitivity for a helpful stats review). If the throat swab is negative in children or adolescents, it's recommended to have a follow-up culture to be certain. ---- There are options for patients with penicillin allergies as well, but let's be sure these patients actually have a true penicillin allergy! Large majority of patients with "penicillin allergy" listed in their chart do not actually have a true allergy. This is another great intervention for pharmacists - penicillin allergy testing! Jarred Prudencio, PharmD - https://www.instagram.com/ambcarerx #GroupA #Strep #Pharyngitis #StrepThroat #Management #Treatment
