Home > News > December 2005 > 16-Dec-2005

E-Learning course aims to help doctors spot pandemic influenza

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has launched a new online training course that aims to help doctors learn more about the signs, symptoms and treatment of patients with pandemic flu.

The HPA says the course presents doctors with mock cases of patients who might turn up at their surgery, including a holidaymaker returning from abroad with flu-like symptoms and a patient worried by the recent media coverage on bird flu asking to be vaccinated.

GPs must correctly diagnose each patient and decide on a course of action including appropriate treatment, whether they should be referred to hospital or told to stay at home and whether to alert the local health protection unit.

Professor Pat Troop, chief executive of the Health Protection Agency said: "The web is an ideal way to provide basic information about the types of symptoms our health professionals need to be looking out for. It also provides information on the potential impact of a flu pandemic and the national contingency plans which are in place to respond. It will also help local health providers to understand what should be included in their local contingency plans. I feel sure it will be helpful to everyone with an interest in protecting the health of the public from the effects of a flu pandemic."

She added, "GPs are often the first point of contact for patients who have flu-like symptoms or who are concerned about flu. That is why it is vital that they have the confidence and information to address patients' concerns about bird and pandemic flu as well as being able to spot the signs of H5N1 in humans or a future pandemic strain of flu once it emerges. "

The training course was designed by the Health Protection Agency and funded by the Department of Health. Doctors can access the training programme from www.Doctors.net.uk.

Dr. John Simpson from the HPA said: "We have worked in close partnership with Doctors.net.uk over the last 12 months in developing online training courses for doctors. We are aiming to train around 10,000 to 15,000 primary care doctors."

External link

www.Doctors.net.uk

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