NICE guidance

The UK's National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence has published new guidance for the month of July.There are two new Clinical Guidelines that impact on primary care. Respiratory tract infections – antibiotic prescribing (PDF) covers treatment of upper respiratory tract infections including otitis media, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, common cold, sinusitis and cough. The guideline discusses three treatment strategies for no, delayed or immediate prescription of antibiotics.The second guideline (PDF) covers diagnosis and initial management of acute stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA). It recommends using the Face Arm Speech Test (FAST) to screen patients with sudden onset of neurological symptoms for stroke and TIA to allow appropriate onward referral to emergency care.Facial weakness – can the person smile? Has... [read full story]