Antibiotic Use *

The PO Performance Report rates for this topic show how well physicians in each PO did in Calendar Year 2014 at appropriately testing for strep and using antibiotics prescriptions for children 2 to 18 years old with throat infections.

A child who has a sore throat should be tested for streptococcus (strep) before using antibiotics. This tells the doctor if there is a strep infection and whether or not antibiotics are needed. Without the test for strep, your child may be given an antibiotic when it is not needed. If antibiotics are taken when not needed, they may not work as well the next time. Talk to your doctor about other ways to make your child feel better.