Journal Jam 24 Antibiotics for Strep Throat: Evidence, Myths and Misperceptions
From Emergency Medicine Cases by Dr. Anton Helman
June 2, 2026 · 1h 19m
About this episode
The episode critically appraises the evidence surrounding the use of antibiotics for strep throat and explores various related clinical considerations.
Antibiotics for strep throat seem like a simple decision—but the evidence is anything but simple. In this Journal Jam podcast with Dr. Casey Parker and Dr. Justin Morgenstern, we critically appraise the literature behind one of the most common infections seen in emergency medicine. Do antibiotics meaningfully improve symptoms? Do they prevent peritonsillar abscess, post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, or rheumatic fever? How reliable are the studies informing our practice? We explore publication bias, limitations of the Centor score, antibiotic harms, and the importance of local epidemiology, helping clinicians move beyond dogma toward more nuanced, evidence-based decision-making... Please consider a donation to EM Cases to ensure ongoing high quality free open access medical education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Anton Helman
Guests: Dr. Casey Parker, Dr. Justin Morgenstern
Topics covered
- antibiotics
- strep throat
- emergency medicine
- evidence-based medicine
- clinical decision-making
- publication bias
Keywords
- strep throat
- antibiotics
- Centor score
- peritonsillar abscess
- post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis
- rheumatic fever
- publication bias
- evidence-based decision-making
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: EM Cases
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