AMA Launches Interactive Flu Web Site

Just three weeks into flu season, officials say the H1N1 flu has become widespread in 46 of the 50 U.S. states, a level comparable to the peak of ordinary flu seasons, which usually occurs sometime between late November and early March. Children and young adults seem most vulnerable to the virus, opposed to seasonal flu, which usually hits people over 65 the hardest. Doctor’s offices, clinics and public health departments across the country are quickly running out of H1N1 vaccine and aren’t sure when the next batches will arrive. Initially, the U.S. government expected to have 40 million doses of vaccine available by the end of October, but announced last week that production problems would limit the October supply to 28 million to 30 million doses.

Doctors are receiving unprecedented numbers of phone calls from worried parents and patients, and waiting rooms at doctor’s offices, clinics and hospital ERs are overflowing with people concerned they may have become infected with the H1N1 virus. Health officials say, however, that many of those spending hours in germ-infested waiting areas aren’t sick or have mild symptoms that could be treated at home, which makes it hard to identify those who need immediate care.

So how do you know if you or your children have H1N1 flu or if your symptoms are severe enough to require medical treatment?  The latest way is a free interactive website from The American Medical Association (AMA), built with partners Microsoft and personal health record provider Healthy Circles. The website offers information about seasonal and H1N1 flu and gives advice on when to seek professional help. The site asks a series of questions about a patient’s symptoms and history, and then lets the patient know if they need to see a doctor. But unlike other self-assessment flu sites, this website also allows doctors to communicate with patients and will eventually permit doctors to prescribe routine medications online.

Using information based on the latest CDC flu guidelines, the site helps patients determine the severity of their flu symptoms and, if they choose, share that information with a physician on a forum similar to that of Facebook. Physicians are then able to use tools on the site to monitor their patients’ symptoms, and manage patient flow within their respective practices.

“It’s basically Facebook for health care,” said Dr. James Mault, Chief Executive Officer of Healthy Circles, which developed the Web site. “I think that may help in a small way in reducing the worried well and the worried not-so-sick who are overwhelming our system right now.” And the site complies with medical privacy laws, he said.

Dr. Mary Anne McCaffree, a pediatrician from Oklahoma City and member of the AMA board, says that with both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus circulating, doctor’s offices are already seeing much more traffic than normal. “This resource allows patients to access their symptoms and determine when to seek care for themselves or their loved ones,” she said. “To prevent the spread of influenza, this site also helps determine when it is safe for those who have been sick to return to work or school.”

Colorado is the first state to adopt the technology, which will link government health sites in Colorado directly to the AMA site. “As part of Colorado’s dedication to healthcare technology, we are proud to be the first state in the nation to support this new online tool for Colorado families and healthcare professionals,” said Governor Bill Ritter. “This new tool will play a critical role in helping to reduce demands on our healthcare system.”

McCaffree said the site is the first step in a larger AMA initiative that will provide additional online tools for patients and doctors. As those tools are developed, new conditions outside of the flu will be added to a larger “umbrella portal.”