Calculator · Respiratory

FeverPAIN (sore throat)

Likelihood of streptococcal sore throat.

What it is for

Sore throat without red-flag features. NICE NG84 uses FeverPAIN or Centor — read the antibiotic recommendations in the guideline itself.

Use the working calculator

The working FeverPAIN (sore throat) calculator is on our calculators page. It is free and needs no account. Enter the values and it shows the result with the reading that goes with it.

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The calculators are free. The trial opens the protocols and pathways they link to.

What you enter

The calculator asks for 5 items.

  • Fever in last 24 h (1 point)
  • Purulence (tonsils / pharynx) (1 point)
  • Attended rapidly (within 3 days of onset) (1 point)
  • Severely inflamed tonsils (1 point)
  • No cough or coryza (1 point)

How the result is read

The result is shown as FeverPAIN score, out of a maximum of 5.

The calculator reads each total as follows. Where a single answer changes the reading (for example sex, age or one extreme value), the working calculator says so.

TotalBandWhat the calculator says
0 to 1No antibioticNICE NG84 (score 0–1): an antibiotic is not usually needed; self-care advice. See the sore throat protocol. Strep risk ~13–18%.
2 to 3Backup antibioticNICE NG84 (score 2–3): consider no antibiotic or a back-up antibiotic prescription. See the sore throat protocol. Strep risk ~34–40%.
4 to 5Immediate antibioticNICE NG84 (score 4–5): consider an immediate antibiotic or a back-up antibiotic prescription. See the sore throat protocol. Strep risk ~62–65%.

Sources

These are the sources the calculator cites. Check the current version before relying on a threshold.

Related

CRB-65Community-acquired pneumonia severity for primary care.Centor (sore throat)Alternative streptococcal probability score.CURB-65CAP severity where urea is available (hospital / nursing-home).MRC Dyspnoea ScaleBreathlessness grade (1–5) — disability, not lung function.COPD Assessment Test (CAT)Health-status impact of COPD (8 items, 0–40).All calculators60 clinical scores and tools

For qualified clinicians. A score supports a clinical decision and does not make it: check the inputs, read the cited source, and use the tools in your clinical system for patient care where one is provided.