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Children's Health: Right test and treatment for sore throats

Pharyngitis - often simply referred to as a sore throat - is common but rarely serious. By testing for bacterial infections such as strep throat, an appropriate diagnosis can be made. This test is a swab of the throat, which can be done by a rapid test in your doctor's office or in a lab, which takes 48 hours. If the test is negative, the sore throat is probably caused by a virus and antibiotics are not the best treatment.

This measure shows the percent of children in each practice who had a sore throat and got an antibiotic after having a throat swab test. A higher number is better. Getting antibiotics without the throat swab is not correct according to this measure.

If your doctor's office is not listed it means there was not enough information available to report this measure.

Why it is important:
Having a sore throat doesn't always mean your child has a bacterial infection. If your child doesn't have a bacterial infection (strep throat), he or she doesn't need an antibiotic. Overusing antibiotics is not good because the bacteria develops resistance and over time antibiotics may become less effective. Making your child immune to antibiotics can make it harder to fight a serious infection later.

What you and your doctor should do:
Good health requires a partnership. Your doctor cannot do it alone. You and your doctor should talk about the best tests and medicines to diagnose and treat possible strep throat.

Get tips on talking to your doctor and asking the right questions