Microsoft Launches Site to Help Consumers Decide if
They Have H1N1 Flu, What to Do
H1N1 Response Center hopes to keep patients at home
with self-assessment based on material from Emory University.
Oct. 7, 2009 Microsoft jumped into the H1N1 flu
fight today with the launch of a Website, H1N1 Response Center, which it
says provides users with a program by Emory University to self-assess
their flu symptoms. It provides timely and relevant content, says the
announcement.
With the current H1N1 flu (swine flu) pandemic
under way, many public health officials are concerned that critical
healthcare resources could be stretched thin as people flood hospital
emergency departments and physicians' offices to determine whether they
have the illness. In response, Microsoft Corp. today announced the new
Website.
"If current estimates are correct, many emergency
departments across the nation could be overwhelmed by two groups of
patients -- those who have H1N1 and those who believe they have H1N1,"
said Angela Gardner, M.D., FACEP, president of the American College of
Emergency Physicians.
"It is going to be essential that we use every tool
and service at our disposal to contain this illness, and online H1N1
self-assessment tools, such as the one offered by Microsoft, can be
helpful in providing people with ways to determine whether they should
seek emergency care."
Designed to help people decide what to do if they
are worried that they or someone they know might have H1N1, the site
offers consumers a self-assessment licensed from medical and public
health experts at Emory University. The service assists people in
deciding whether their symptoms could be caused by the H1N1 flu virus
and provides guidance on what they can do next.
"It is already clear that certain people are more
vulnerable to the effects of H1N1 flu virus than others," said Dr.
Arthur Kellermann, professor of emergency medicine and an associate dean
of the Emory School of Medicine.
"By providing an at-home tool that can help users
evaluate whether they need to see a provider before they head to the
hospital, we can encourage those who are severely ill or at risk for
serious illness to contact their doctor, and reassure everyone else that
it is safe and prudent to recover at home.
This will reduce the number of people needlessly
exposed to H1N1 influenza in crowded clinic and ER waiting rooms, and
allow doctors and nurses to focus their attention on those who need them
most."
If a person decides to see a provider after taking
the assessment, a prepare-for-visit tool allows him or her to compile an
organized health history for providers by combining the self-assessment
answers with health information stored in the user's account in
Microsoft HealthVault, a personal health application platform designed
to put consumers in control of their health information.
The connected nature of the HealthVault ecosystem
enables individuals to act on their assessment through partners such as
TelaDoc, which offers telephonic visits, and American Well, which
connects individuals to their health plan physicians for video, chat or
telephone consultations.
"Any pandemic has the potential to create major
disruptions in society," said David Cerino, general manager, Microsoft
Health Solutions Group. "Now more than ever, we are in a position to
implement solutions to help people make better decisions during these
outbreaks, such as social distancing, because of the technological
advancements that companies like Microsoft have made over the past few
years."
The self-assessment licensed from Emory University
is based on a "Strategy for Off-site Rapid Triage," or SORT. SORT
reflects current public health and clinical science, vetted by a
national network of experts from public health, clinical medicine,
health education and infectious disease. It is grounded in a clinical
strategy endorsed by the American College of Emergency Physicians, the
leading organization for emergency medicine in the U.S.
About Microsoft in Health
Microsoft is committed to improving health around
the world through software innovation. Over the past 12 years, Microsoft
has steadily increased its investments in health, with a focus on
addressing the challenges of health providers, health and social
services organizations, payers, consumers and life sciences companies
worldwide. Microsoft closely collaborates with a broad ecosystem of
partners and develops its own powerful health solutions, such as Amalga
and HealthVault. Together, Microsoft and its industry partners are
working to advance a vision of unifying health information and making it
more readily available, ensuring the best quality of life and affordable
care for everyone.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)
is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help
people and businesses realize their full potential.
