The American Academy of Family Physicians urges it members to:
AAFP Guidance on H1N1 Flu
- Become familiar with and act on the clinical guidance for H1N1 issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which is posted at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ .
- Keep informed on a regular basis regarding this rapidly changing situation through the above CDC link and other important sites such as the overall CDC H1N1 site at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/, the federal pandemic flu site at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ and the World Health Organization site at http://www.who.int/en/.
- Work in both their practices and communities with their state and local health departments to address this growing health problem.
- Educate their patients and office staff about the steps they can take to lessen the risk of infection.
- Prepare for dealing with a possible pandemic such as the illness of practice staff, closed schools, and other contingencies.
As community based physicians caring for the entire family, Family Physicians are on the front line in combating this H1N1 Flu. Through surveillance, diagnosis and treatment, the specialty of Family Medicine will act to limit the impact of this disease while continuing to provide care for the other health problems of patients in the Patient Centered Medical Home.
Board Chair approved: April 28, 2009
