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Antiobiotic aware

I applaud the intent of Max Loewinger’ s Wespeak (Health center should prescribe antibiotics sparingly) in the January 31 Argus. Because of the Davison Health Center’s shared concern about not just antibiotic resistance, but also providing the highest standard of evidence-based medicine, we strictly follow the most stringent guidelines of the leading authorities in developing and refining our clinical protocols, including those regarding the prescription of antibiotics. When a patient presents a history of several day’s sore throat and is found upon examination to have inflamed tonsils with a heavy coating of exudates, we check a QuickStrep. This is a very, but not perfectly, accurate test for Group A strep which causes about half the cases of bacterial throat infections we encounter. When the QuickStrep is negative, we weigh clinical criteria to decide for or against starting antibiotics, pending the results of follow-up testing. These tests require 1-2 days and further help us to elucidate whether the cause is bacterial or viral.

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