Doctors head online for Swine Flu answers

With cases of swine flu spreading to more countries, UK doctors have been heading to trusted online information sources to find answers to their most pressing questions.

A large number of member comments and questions have been posted at Doctors.net.uk, one of the largest networks of medical professionals in the UK.

The top five questions that doctors have been asking are:

• Where are the Tamiflu supplies and how would they be distributed?
• What are pharmacists being advised to tell patients who are worried?
• Where can doctors and other health workers get the correct facemasks and protective equipment?
• Are doctors supposed to take swabs from anyone with flu-like symptoms?
• How quickly will swab results come back?

The network, which has 50,000 doctors using it each week, has seen the extensive sharing of information and support being offered to front line colleagues. Doctors are guiding each other to information not only from the UK, such as the websites of the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency, but are also viewing information from around the world including a slide lecture from the University of Pittsburgh, which is being kept updated as this health emergency evolves.

Dr Tim Ringrose, managing director of medical communities at Doctors.net.uk, said: “Many doctors have experienced epidemics and pandemics before. What is different this time is that they are going online to find out what is happening in real-time and are using online professional networks to recommend sources of information to each other and to share their questions and concerns.”

“Thanks to the speed and intensity of media reporting of this outbreak, doctors and the whole health service have been placed under huge pressure by an understandably anxious public. They need quickly to be armed with vital information that will help them reassure their patients, identify any potential cases and stop other routine services being interrupted.”