The Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG) has launched a flu symptom checker on its website, nhg.org.
This tool is designed to ease the workload on GPs across the Netherlands, according to an NHG spokeswoman. "It's for people who suspect they may be infected with swine flu. They can perform an initial self-assessment at home to determine if they might have the flu." Users answer up to eight questions based on their responses.
The spokeswoman could not provide data on how many patients GPs are seeing for suspected flu. "The website offers practical support, as those with flu symptoms should not visit the surgery." Completing the check provides users with concrete advice from the NHG.
