A website to help H1N1 victims

Microsoft, the Software giant today launched a new and free online service H1N1 Response Center which assesses the symptoms users report and based on the answers, offers guidance for those considering whether to visit a health care provider or not.

The service has mainly 2 goals:

1) Provide quick & easy information to help people who are severely ill or at increased risk make informed decisions for themselves and their loved ones, and encourage those who have mild illness to consider staying home.

2) Crowded doctors’ offices and emergency rooms can make it harder for sick patients to get timely care, plus they increase the risk of spreading germs from one person to another. Health officials estimate that between 20 percent & 40 percent of the U.S. population or 60 million to 120 million people may get H1N1 or seasonal influenza during the 2009 flu season. A small proportion of those will become seriously ill.

The assessment provided by the online service is based on an algorithm developed by doctors at Emory University with input from medical and public health experts nationwide. Microsoft licensed the assessment from the Emory University School of Medicine. It asks users about their symptoms and other risk factors, such as age, underlying health issues or pregnancy. The assessment dynamically responds to user’s answers that indicate a person is seriously ill or at risk.

For example, someone who reports high fever or trouble breathing may be advised to visit a doctor or ER within just a few questions.

Dr. Arthur Kellermann, professor and associate dean for health policy at the Emory University School of Medicine, says that during the spring outbreak of H1N1, many people went to an emergency room “just to be safe.” But doctors have found that making a needless trip to the emergency room is not a wise choice. “First of all, you don’t need to be there,” he says. “And second, you will probably spend a lengthy period of time waiting to be seen among others who are sicker than you. If you didn’t have the flu when you got there, you may well have it by the time you return home.”