Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. These authors contributed equally and should be considered as co-first authors. These authors contributed equally and should be considered as senior authors. Paracetamol is recommended as first-line treatment for an acute sore throat. However, in primary care, antibiotics are still frequently prescribed as first-line management for sore throat. We aimed to explore the views and experiences of general practitioners GPs and patients regarding paracetamol for sore throat to understand why guidelines are often not adhered to.
A descriptive qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted with a purposive sample of eight GPs and nine patients in Antwerp Belgium. Data was analysed using thematic content analysis.
The mean age of GPs was Patients want reassurance and pain relief. Many patients do not self-manage their acute sore throat with paracetamol before consulting their GP. GPs often wrongly assume that the patient has already used pain relief without actually exploring this.
Patients who do use paracetamol, do not know how to use it effectively. This leads to the perception and beliefs that it is insufficient to treat acute sore throat and when prescribed will lead to dissatisfaction. GPs play a major role in educating patients about paracetamol as effective pain-relieving treatment in acute sore throat. Keywords: Acute sore throat, paracetamol, patients, general practitioners, qualitative research.
Both GPs and patients perceive paracetamol as a weak painkiller for acute sore throat; for patients this can be attributed to the incorrect use. In Belgium, having an acute sore throat is a common reason to consult the general practitioner GP [ 1 ]. The recommended approach in Flemish guidelines to relieve pain caused by a sore throat is using a time-based approach of paracetamol, 1 gram four times per day. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSAID is recommended as an alternative, keeping the side-effects, co-morbidities and possible drug interactions in mind.
