An analysis of public inquiries on flu prevention in community settings during the 2009 H1N1 flu response

The CDC-INFO Contact Center (CDC-INFO) is the information system through which the public can make inquiries by phone or email for all health topics. This presentation will provide an overview of the findings of an analysis of CDC-INFO calls related to flu prevention in communities during the period of September-November 2009. In response to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, the CDC developed guidance documents and toolkits addressing the flu prevention and response needs of early childcare providers, K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, and businesses. In order to address the information needs of the public, prepared responses were written for the CDC-INFO Contact Center based upon the guidance documents. These responses were utilized by CDC-INFO Contact Center staff to respond to calls received regarding H1N1 flu in community settings. A representative sample (n=1441) of calls was taken and analyzed for common themes. The top inquiries for each setting were identified and categorized by topic. Top inquiries were common across settings and included cleaning, flu protection, and how long a person should stay home when sick. The results of this analysis provided insight into areas of concern and major information gaps leading to the revision of prepared responses to more adequately address the information needs of the public during the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak.