An interventional study of Physicians assess patients and Nurses assess patients in Pharyngitis, sponsored by Vastra Gotaland Region. Recruiting at 4 sites in Sweden. Open to participants aged 6 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-16.
Sponsored by Vastra Gotaland Region · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This project aims to investigate if an organisational change of patient flow away from medical practitioners can reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in patients attending with a sore throat as the main complaint.
Today patients appear either at a PHC centre or at the Pharmacy. The Pharmacy may provide advice on analgesic or refer the patient to a PHC centre. At the PHC centre, the patient may first appear to the medical practitioner or a nurse pending on local routines. The current Swedish guideline recommends no antibiotics and no testing for patients with 0-2 Centor criteria. For patients with 3-4 Centor criteria the guideline recommends testing and only consider antibiotics if GAS is present.
COVID-19 has gradually transformed from expressing itself as a severe lower respiratory tract infection to be more of an upper respiratory tract infection. Furthermore, COVID-19 is likely to transform from a pandemic to an endemic state with a low continuous incidence. Hence, in response to COVID-19 it seems crucial to identify to what extent the common sore throat is caused by the SARS-CoV-2.
Furthermore, a large controlled clinical trial is required to sort out if patients attending with a sore throat as the main complaint are best managed by medical practitioners, nurses or pharmacists. This study aims to perform such a controlled clinical trial comparing the outcome of sore throat patients management by medical practitioner, nurses and pharmacists. This study also aims to investigate to what extent the SARS-CoV-2 virus is identified in these patients.
226 studies on the registry are indexed under Pharyngitis; 35 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 450 is above the median of 144 across 188 interventional studies indexed under Pharyngitis.
Browse Pharyngitis studies →Vastra Gotaland Region is the lead sponsor of 275 studies on the registry; 109 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients attending with an acute sore throat are initially assessed by a physician. This is one variant of current standard practice.
Behavioral: Physicians assess patients
Patients attending with an acute sore throat are initially assessed by a nurse. This is one variant of current standard practice.
Behavioral: Nurses assess patients
Patients attending with an acute sore throat are initially assessed by a pharmacist. This is officially not standard practice in Sweden, although it happens.
Behavioral: Pharmacists assess patients
Physicians are asked to assess patients following the current Swedish guideline
Nurses are asked to assess patients following the current Swedish guideline
Pharmacists are asked to assess patients following the current Swedish guideline
Guideline adherence
Will the proportion of patients attending for an uncomplicated acute sore throat being managed according to prevailing guidelines differ if the initial assessment is made by a medical practitioner, a trained nurse or a trained pharmacist
Time frame: Immediately after the consultation
Illness severity
What proportion of patients attending PHC centres or pharmacies are classified as apparently uncomplicated, potentially complicated or potentially critically ill
Time frame: Immediately after the consultation
Type of patients seeking care
Will patient characteristics differ if the patient first appears to the medical practitioner, a trained nurse or a trained pharmacist?
Time frame: Immediately after the consultation
Presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus
To what extent do patients attending Primary Health Care/Pharmacies due to an acute sore throat harbour the SARS-CoV-2 virus?
Time frame: Immediately after the consultation
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Plan to share: No
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