ArticleThe Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy2022
To swab or not to swab? Using point-of-care tests to detect Group A Streptococcus infections as part of a Sore Throat Test and Treat service in community pharmacy.
Article in The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Multi-center investigation on the influence of clinical characteristics and molecular group A streptococci diagnostics on the management of tonsillopharyngitis in pediatric practices in Berlin-BASE study.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Trial
- Point-of-care testing in community pharmacies to improve antimicrobial stewardship in respiratory infections: a scoping review of effectiveness, implementation and cost-effectiveness.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Counseling in Sore Throat Management According to Patients and Pharmacists.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Comparison of antibiotic provision associated with acute sore throat symptom management in community pharmacies in Wales and England: a natural policy experiment.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2025Article
- Oral Antibacterial Drug Prescribing in Primary Care Out-of-Hours Services: A Scoping Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Clinical outcomes following acute sore throat assessment at community pharmacy versus general practice: a retrospective, longitudinal, data linkage study.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2025Article
- Article
- Improving Antimicrobial Stewardship in Acute Sore Throat: Comparison of FeverPAIN and McIsaac Scores with Molecular Point of Care Testing Using Abbott ID NOW.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Postpandemic Sentinel Surveillance of Respiratory Diseases in the Context of the World Health Organization Mosaic Framework: Protocol for a Development and Evaluation Study Involving the English Primary Care Network 2023-2024.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- A pharmacy-led sore throat test and treat (STTT) service: antigen testing and antibiotic supply rates during the period of heightened public awareness of Group A Streptococcus infections.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2024Article
- Global restriction of the over-the-counter sale of antimicrobials: does it make sense?Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Reducing Antibiotic Misuse through the Use of Point-of-Care Tests in Germany: A Survey of 1257 Medical Practices.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Acute Respiratory Infection Hubs: A Service Model with Potential to Optimise Infection Management.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Flare of the silent pandemic in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: Obstacles and opportunities.World journal of clinical cases · 2023Review
- Characteristics of the sore throat test and treat service in community pharmacies (STREP) in Wales: cross-sectional analysis of 11 304 consultations using anonymized electronic pharmacy records.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe community pharmacy-led Sore Throat Test and Treat (STTT) service in Wales allowed pharmacists to undertake a structured clinical assessment with FeverPAIN/Centor scores and a point-of-care test (POCT) for Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection. A new service model was temporarily agreed as a result of COVID-19, without routine use of POCT.
objectivesTo explore the impact of removing the requirement for GAS POCT from a community pharmacy STTT service on antibiotic supply.
methodsAnalysis of STTT consultation data, obtained for two periods: November 2018 (date the service went live) to September 2019 (pre-pandemic); and November 2020 (date the new service model was introduced) to May 2021.
resultsFor consultations eligible for POCT, the antibiotic supply rate increased from 27% (922/3369) (95% CI: 26%-29%) with the pre-pandemic service model (FeverPAIN/Centor + POCT) to 63% (93/147) (95% CI: 55%-71%) with the new model (FeverPAIN/Centor only); the percentage of patients who were not issued an antibiotic, despite their high clinical score, decreased from 56% (646/1154) to 9.3% (8/86).
conclusionsPreliminary data suggest that for every 100 STTT consultations with patients with a Centor score of ≥3 or a FeverPAIN score of ≥2, the use of POCT may spare up to 36 courses of antibiotics, increasing to 47 for patients with higher clinical scores, suggesting that the pre-COVID delivery model (FeverPAIN/Centor + POCT) is the optimal pathway and POCT in addition to clinical scores may result in fewer antibiotic prescriptions for sore throat symptoms. These findings have implications for STTT service delivery during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
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