From the Guidelines
Nursing interventions for an irritated throat should prioritize symptomatic relief and comfort measures, as most cases are self-limiting and do not require antibiotics, as supported by 1.
Key Interventions
- Encourage adequate hydration with warm liquids, such as herbal tea with honey or warm water with lemon, to help soothe the throat.
- Recommend throat lozenges containing benzocaine or menthol for temporary pain relief, following the package instructions for dosage.
- Suggest gargling with warm salt water several times a day to reduce inflammation and kill bacteria.
- Use a cool-mist humidifier to maintain moisture in the airways, which can help reduce throat irritation.
- For pain management, recommend acetaminophen or ibuprofen, as suggested by 1, following the recommended dosage to avoid adverse effects.
Additional Considerations
- Advise patients to rest their voice and avoid irritants like smoking, alcohol, and spicy foods, which can exacerbate throat irritation.
- If symptoms persist beyond 7-10 days, or are accompanied by high fever, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or if the patient has underlying conditions like immunosuppression, further medical evaluation should be sought, as indicated by 1.
Antibiotic Use
- Antibiotics should only be considered if there is a confirmed diagnosis of group A streptococcal pharyngitis, as stated in 1 and 1, and should be used judiciously to minimize unnecessary antibiotic exposure and potential side effects.
From the Research
Nursing Intervention in Irritation Throat
- The treatment of acute viral pharyngitis can be managed with lozenges containing ectoine, which has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms 2.
- Ectoine lozenges have been compared to hyaluronic acid lozenges and hypertonic saline gargle, and have been found to be significantly superior in terms of symptom relief and tolerability 2.
- The use of ectoine lozenges has been shown to decrease the sum score for primary symptoms such as pain on swallowing, urge to cough, and hoarseness by 79.5% 2.
- In terms of general health improvement, ectoine lozenges have been found to be significantly superior to saline gargle, with 72.5% of patients reporting improvement compared to 45.2% of those using saline gargle 2.
- The diagnosis of pharyngitis is crucial in providing targeted treatment, and a thorough history is key to diagnosing the condition 3.
- Rapid antigen detection tests and throat cultures can be used to identify the inciting organism, and physicians should exercise restraint in antibiotic initiation for pharyngitis, as it does not delay recovery or increase the risk of complications 3.