New health and symptom checker for diarrhoea and vomiting
10 Dec 2010
NHS Direct has today launched an online health and symptom checker for people suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting, as the number of people contacting NHS Direct about these symptoms increases.
NHS Direct’s latest online health and symptom checker is available at www.nhs.uk/nhsdirect. It works by asking the user a series of questions to assess their symptoms and, depending on the information provided, patients may be given advice on how they can treat their diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms at home, with over-the-counter medicines. In more severe cases, patients may be advised to seek further advice, and the health and symptom checker can direct them to the most appropriate health service.
The health and symptom checker has been developed in line with the same protocols used by NHS Direct’s telephone advisors so patients get the same advice whether they use the phone or the web. When using the tool, a call-back from an NHS Direct nurse advisor is only a click away if a further nurse assessment is recommended by the checker. The caller can choose to remain anonymous for the call-back if they wish.
Last month (November) NHS Direct received 17,700 calls from people about diarrhoea and vomiting, which is often linked to norovirus. This is the highest number of calls per month for these symptoms since March 2010. NHS Direct has seen a steady increase in calls over the last six weeks, with call volumes about diarrhoea and vomiting now in excess of 4,000 a week.
Health Protection Agency (HPA) analysis of NHS Direct’s call volumes shows that the proportion of vomiting calls for all ages has now exceeded the norovirus threshold. Previous analysis of data suggests that when the proportion of vomiting calls exceeds the threshold for two consecutive weeks this usually marks the beginning and continuation of periods of increased norovirus activity nationally.
There is no specific treatment for a norovirus infection and most people will make a full recovery within two to three days. Advice includes staying at home, taking paracetamol to relieve fever symptoms, and drinking plenty of water to replace the fluids lost through diarrhoea and vomiting and to prevent dehydration. Drinking plenty of fluids is particularly important for young children and the elderly, who are more prone to dehydration.
Helen Young, Chief Nurse at NHS Direct says:
“It’s not unusual to see an increase in the number of people contracting norovirus at this time of the year, and NHS Direct has vast experience of helping people manage the unpleasant symptoms. In most cases people can follow advice that allows them to treat their symptoms at home and this new health and symptom checker is a great way for patients to get the advice they need to help them get better as quickly as possible.”
Over the next month NHS Direct will be adding to its suite of online health and symptom checkers covering a wide range of symptoms. These can be accessed at www.nhs.uk/nhsdirect. NHS Direct’s initial assessment symptom checker is now available on web-enabled mobile phones. Just type in mobile.nhsdirect.nhs.uk to any web browser.
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