Are any of your patients getting tested for swine flu?

[FireStarterRN]

I had a patient who had been admitted with fever and SOB yesterday, he also had an extensive cardiac history, was diabetic of course, and other factors. I looked on his labs from this stay, no sign of any of any screening for flu. I wondered why on earth, with all this hubbub, this guy wasn't getting tested for swine flu. There have been a few cases in my state and our area has a large Mexican population. The wife even mentioned it to me after I had already been wondering about it to myself. He was basically admitted with flulike symptoms, and being treated for pneumonia.

Any of your patients being tested?

[oramar]

Actually the Infection Control nurse gets the pos. results (if the test is done at a hospital) and completes the scanty paper work. If your MDs don't know that, please tell them!

Sorry I was not clear, I am talking about docs in their office. However, I have observed docs in clinical situations drag their feet about doing testing. Like someone mentioned, at least in a hospital setting the nursing staff and infection control people will follow them around remind them to do the right thing. Most of the docs I know use medical assistants in their office not nurses. Not that a medical assistant would never remind them to do a culture but it is less likely to happen. For what I am reading here, the situation spurred by news coverage is better as far as getting cultures, however it is far from perfect. Just read the post by the person who works in a regular ER AND a VA ER. They are getting cultures on everyone that has a fever in one and at the other they have a strict criteria that almost no one meets so they are not getting them.