eLearning in less than 60 minutes

Changes/additions to materials (reviewed February 2010):

Seasonal and pandemic (H1N1) influenza
The Department of Health has issued two updated clinical management guidelines for pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza for adults and children and for women who are pregnant. For more details see MeReC Stop Press Blog 864

Although emerging observational data in the current swine influenza pandemic support the use of antivirals, the December 2009 update to a Cochrane review has raised questions about oseltamivir▼’s ability to prevent complications of seasonal influenza in otherwise healthy adults. For more details see MeReC Stop Press Blog 912. Users of our patient decision aid (PDA) relating to oseltamivir▼ in otherwise healthy adults should note that it was based on data from the 2003 paper by Kaiser et al which is at the centre of the controversy regarding the Cochrane review’s findings. No other PDAs relating to oseltamivir▼ in influenza are affected by the December 2009 Cochrane update.

We summarised the evidence on the use of oseltamivir▼ in the treatment of seasonal influenza in children in MeReC Rapid Review blog 552 and in adults in MeReC Rapid Review blog 560. Note that the second blog should be read in conjunction with MeReC Stop Press Blog 912.

In this room you will find a series of workshops using a multimedia presentation of PowerPoint slides with audio commentary by the NPC team. You will need speakers and a sound card in your computer.

The outline of each short presentation is given below. Simply click on one of the underlined links and then click on the play icon to begin. You can jump forwards to skip a slide or backwards to repeat a slide by clicking the relevant slide on the left hand side of the console.

Section 1 - What are the major Public Health issues? (12min 39secs)

• Rates of common infections
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Major policy objectives

Section 2 - What is happening with MRSA and C. difficile? (11min 20secs)

• Handwashing

Section 3 - Trends in antibiotic usage and outcomes (15min 37secs)

• Prescribing data and trends
• Effect on resistance patterns and illness
• Risks of not prescribing antibiotics

Section 4 - General strategies for appropriate use of antimicrobials (21min 45secs)

• NICE guidance for URTIs
• Patient-focused initiatives
• Evidence for non-antibiotic interventions

Date of last update - December 2008