Throat swabbing is an important instrument in the diagnosis of strep pharyngitis and sometimes the main argument for antibiotic treatment. There is no firm knowledge about an appropriate method of the swabbing for receiving maximal sensitivity. We hypothesize that accurate swabbing from the pus will increase the sensitivity of the swabbing as compared to free swabbing. In order to check this hypothesis we will compare two swabs from the same throat. One that will be taken by a physician specifically from the pass and the second will be taken by a nurse as she used to do it. An increase of 10% of positive results will be accepted as a significant advantage.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
500
physician swabs patient's throat according to standard rules before referral of the patient to throat swabbing by nurse.
sensitivity of "accurate" swabbing versus sensitivity of habitual nurses' swabbing
Proportion of positive cultures obtained by "accurate" swabbing will be compared to the proportion of positive cultures obtained by nurses' habitual swabbing (as they do it usually).
Time frame: 1 year
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