H1N1 Self-Assessment Tool from Microsoft November 28
Towards the end of October, Microsoft launched a new website that can hopefully help people who may be experiencing flu-like symptoms to determine whether they will need immediate medical attention or not.
We may recall that in previous statements and requests from health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the general public is encouraged to exercise due diligence and prudence in determining the appropriate time to seek medical attention. There have been cases of people seeking medical help out of panic when they don’t really need it, as well as people who ask for help when it is already a bit too late.
The site, h1n1responsecenter.com, provides information on swine flu, tips on how to prevent the flu and on how to take care of one’s self as well as others. There were also H1N1 guidelines on the site specifically for people who have health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and cancer.
In addition to information, the site also features an online self-assessment tool. The assessment is based on material from Emory University and will help the person taking the test to assess whether or not one has the symptoms of swine flu as well as decide on what the next appropriate step should be. It is reportedly based closely on an algorithm for health professionals destined for use during the 2009 – 2010 flu season. This algorithm was a joint development effort between the CDC and Emory University, according to a feature on ModernMedicine.com announcing the launch of the tool.
The assessment tool will not only be a way to help one’s self; a person using the assessment tool will be given the opportunity to agree to share the information that he or she provided during the assessment for purposes of “public health, education and research.” The information, when shared, may be used by health officials and researchers in efforts to learn more about “where symptoms may be occurring in the U.S.”
Tags: microsoft H1N1 tool, microsoft swine flu assessment, online swine flu assessment