Seasonal influenza: Clinical management of seasonal influenza

This short, intermediate-level course is for frontline health workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed seasonal influenza infection. It begins with basic epidemiological and clinical characteristics, including surveillance as a background. The remaining modules then present a step-by-step approach to clinical management. This can be used by clinicians working in any sector of the health care system, including health posts, primary care, and district and national level hospitals. The modules present practical information and knowledge that can be easily applied when caring for patients. To be followed later this year by an advanced-level course on the clinical management of patients with severe acute respiratory infection.

Course information

Overview: This short, intermediate-level course is for frontline health workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed seasonal influenza infection. It begins with basic epidemiological and clinical characteristics, including surveillance as a background. The remaining modules then present a step-by-step approach to clinical management. This can be used by clinicians working in any sector of the health care system, including health posts, primary care, and district and national level hospitals. The modules present practical information and knowledge that can be easily applied when caring for patients. Modules 2-6 each offer a quiz questions to test your knowledge after completing the lesson, while Modules 2, 3 and 6 each include a short video lecture that highlights key components of their respective topics.

Learning objective: By the end of this course, clinicians should be familiar with how to care for patients with influenza infection.

Course duration: This course will take approximately 4 hours to complete.

Certificates: No certificate available at this time.

Course contents

• Module 1: Overview of seasonal influenza:

  This module will give you the basics about seasonal influenza virus epidemiology and surveillance.

• Module 2: Early recognition: Triage and screening:

  This module will guide you on how to distinguish between patients that have uncomplicated influenza like illness from those with severe forms of acute respiratory infection and to initiate timely clinical management.

• Module 3: Infection prevention and control (IPC):

  This module will describe the key components of IPC when caring for patient with seasonal influenza infection.

• Module 4: Differential diagnosis and specimen collection:

  This module will describe how to develop an appropriate differential diagnosis and how to collect respiratory specimens for laboratory diagnosis.

• Module 5: Clinical syndromes of severe influenza infection:

  This module describes the syndromes associated with severe influenza infection, including severe pneumonia, sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

• Module 6: Antimicrobial therapy:

  This module will describe which patients with influenza infection require antimicrobial therapy and how to prescribe antiviral therapy.