What Patients Need to Know
Not only does comprehensive respiratory virus testing provide you with important information for clinical decision-making, it can also reassure your patients by letting them know what virus they have – and, perhaps more importantly, which ones they don’t have. Here are some related topics you might like to discuss with your patients:
- What different types of viruses can cause flu-like or cold-like symptoms, and how common they are – the concept that even though it feels like “the flu”, it might not be an influenza virus
- Why it’s important to know the specific virus that is causing the infection
- What tests are available and how they compare in terms of timing, reliability and comprehensiveness
- What treatment options are available for viral infections
- How 2009 Influenza A/H1N1 influenza can be diagnosed and treated
- Where to go for more information about influenza and other respiratory viruses: the patient side of www.xTAGRVP.com, which talks about flu prevention, testing and treatment