(AP) -- Wondering if the H1N1 flu is bad enough to require a doctor's attention?
An interactive Web site may help you decide, using the same type of triage calculations that doctors at Emory University use.
Microsoft Corp. unveiled the site Wednesday.
To access the online assessment, click here.
Type in your age and answer questions about fever, other symptoms and your underlying health.
The test is only for people over 12 years of age.
The program may conclude you've probably got the 2009 H1N1 strain, but that rest and fluids should be enough care, or that you need a non-emergency call to your own doctor.
Answer that you've been short of breath with a cough and the program flashes: "You might be very sick! Call your doctor now."
It's part of efforts, including local hot lines, to keep people who aren't that sick from flooding already crowded emergency rooms.
Microsoft licensed the self-assessment tool from Emory, which based it on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined are key risks factors for a bad flu outcome.
A large insurer tested the tool against more than 2,500 records of patient visits for flu-like symptoms in Colorado, and only two people deemed low-risk were hospitalized within the following two weeks.
"It reflects the best available science," said Emory emergency medicine specialist Dr. Arthur Kellermann.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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