Questionnaire could cut ER visits during flu season

With flu season right around the corner, inevitably health experts will once again sound the bird flu alarm. In the Wall Street Journal, primary care doctor Benjamin Brewer expresses his concern that the nation’s emergency departments will be pushed beyond capacity if a pandemic does hit the U.S. Many people head to the ER each year because of the flu, and dealing with these patients in addition to a bird flu outbreak would send ERs over the edge. But Brewer notes that there may be a simple Internet tool that can keep this from happening.

In order to avoid unnecessary visits to the ER, Brewer proposes that patients have access to an online questionnaire to see if their symptoms match that of the flu and require a trip to the ER. “At a time when influenza is occurring in a community, clinical guidelines--without an in-person exam--are about 77 percent accurate in diagnosing the illness, according to a study,” Brewer notes. If patient’s symptoms don’t match the questionnaire, then they can avoid a trip to the doctor’s office. If their results are positive, they would be told to receive treatment from a pharmacy.

This approach is radically different from current practice because of the significant role patients would play in their own diagnosis. “The patient-interview approach would be a big change from the status quo--patients aren't generally enlisted in making their own diagnoses, or in participating in technological efforts that could aid in surveillance,” observes Brewer. He acknowledges that there are risks to this approach and that they must be weighed against the benefits. But in the event of a pandemic, relying on an Internet questionnaire might be the best approach for patients, doctors, and hospitals alike.

Fore more on Brewer’s proposal
- read this Wall Street Journal article