Can pharmacists test for strep throat?

Do you have a sore throat and suspect it might be strep? Look no further! This article will dive deep into the question of whether or not pharmacists can perform tests to detect this pesky bacterial infection.

What is Strep Throat, You Ask?

Strep throat, also known as streptococcal pharyngitis, is an infection caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria. It’s highly contagious and spreads through close contact with an infected person.

Symptoms include:

  • Sudden onset of a sore throat
  • Painful swallowing
  • Swollen tonsils
  • Fever

It’s important to get tested if you think you may have strep in order to receive proper treatment.

Testing Done at Your Medical Provider’s Office

When visiting your medical provider, they may use one of two methods to test specifically for strep. These options are called rapid antigen testing (RAT) and throat culture. Both these tests usually yield results within 10 minutes after collection, so there won’t be any remaining anxiety!

Here are some facts about both:

Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT)

This involves swabbing the back of your throat where the bacteria reside. If positive results show from RAT then that means there is presence of the protein that comes from group A Streptococcus bacteria.
Among all types of rapid testing methods assessed on this website http://go.redirectingat.com?id=74679X1524629&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov only RAT was deemed precise enough when used properly in symptomatic patients aged 5 years or over.What’s more attractive about RAT than other laboratory-based tests such as Polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and Enzyme immunoassay(EIA)is its near-immediate feedback of results with a minimal turnaround time (TAT)of about 20 minutes at most labs.

Throat Culture

Like RAT, throat culture also involves the collection of a swab from the back of your throat. However, instead of identifying proteins associated with strep directly via an imaging system, this type sends the sample to a lab for culture growth and observation under specialized instruments. The advantage here is that it yields highly accurate results compared to rapid testing(over90%) although take much longer(TAT around one day).

So Can Pharmacists Test for Strep?

The short answer: Yes! More and more pharmacies nowadays are offering strep testing services provided by pharmacists who have received specific training on conducting RAT tests.

However, there are still varying laws among different states in the US regarding what types of tests can be done without direct medical supervision from doctors/nurse practitioners/physician assistants/etc,. Therefore some efforts would need be put into researching local pharmacy policies concerning this matter beforehand unless you enjoy being pleasantly surprised!

Additionally not all pharmacists provide every kind of rapid test offered by medical providers so do check which test exactly will be conducted before popping-in unless you identify as somewhat risk-tolerant/prefer surprises when they come up unexpectedly.

In general though going through your doctor remains preferable since he/she has better access to healthcare records,hence can make more informed judgements based on individual risks facing patients.Thankfully for self-testing/monitoring purposes alone or else basic diagnostics,you only usually patronize nearby drugstores/beverage stands anyway even before us,GPT-3 shone in their eyes like a glittering monetary reward.

What To Do if You Test Positive

If you receive positive results for strep testing at either your provider’s office or pharmacist provided service don’t panic! It’s treatable with antibiotics.
Remember that antibiotic resistance is growing cause within medicine so no need to beg for an antibiotics in unnecessary cases, rather just follow the steps below:

  1. Rest
  2. Drink plenty of water
  3. Remove contact lenses
  4. Take OTC pain relief

If you are prescribed antibiotics as part of your treatment, it’s important to take them exactly as directed by your healthcare professional.

It’s also crucial that you avoid contact with others until 24 hours after taking your first dose of antibiotics or a minimum of five days without antibiotic therapy since day one.(according to cdc/gov recommendations)This helps prevent spreading the bacteria and infecting others around you.

The Bottom Line

Pharmacists can indeed test for strep throat using rapid antigen testing kits where permitted by law,but doctor-supervised environments is still preferred most;y due to access-to-information advantages on record especially in cases where prescriptions would need be written out if found positive(More-over pharmacists might advise seeking specialist care if they suspect any complicating factors). However being aware that more than ever before such services are offered encourages individuals who live miles away from their hospitals but closer pharmacies/are inspired by “Scary stories about doctors” memes circulating online/nosey,& curious alike (from the best intentions here),to seek tests early through self-initiated interactions at quality retailers chains state-owned or multinational conglomerates whatsoever.Before getting tested do make sure well informed beforehand about what kind of test will be performed so that results align every step along the way towards health/regained teeth-cleaning once Covid dies down(Amen!).

Stay healthy!

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