- You will receive an information package with instructions and a set of influenza test kits from the Public Health Ontario (PHO) laboratories.
- Use these test kits to collect respiratory specimens (nasopharyngeal or nasal preferred) from all patients presenting to your practice within seven days of ILI onset as per the FluWatch ILI case definition. That is, from the moment you consent to participate in the study until the end of the 2011-2012 influenza season.
- Submit an average of one to two specimens per week (20 - 25 in total) from your eligible patients during the study period to PHO laboratories, which will test the respiratory specimens sent for diagnosis as part of this study. Influenza test results for your patients will be available within one week.
- Complete a brief questionnaire with each respiratory specimen as part of the usual laboratory requisition form for each specimen. Together with the lab information, these questions will enable us to derive vaccine effectiveness.
Completion of the questionnaire is essential for the study.
- As compensation, receive $10 for each specimen and completed questionnaire submitted according to the study protocol. You will receive this at the end of the study period.
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