Diagnosis and
Management of Foodborne Illnesses
A Primer for Health Care Providers
Overview
- Primer
- Background
- Components
- Distribution
- Evaluation
- Update
- Physicians as Educators
Physicians as Educators
- Physicians have contact with approximately
80% of the population during a given year
(Hiddink).
- People are most likely to change their
behavior if they recently experienced an illness
or see themselves as at-risk (van Weel).
- People value physicians over dieticians as
key sources of nutritional and food safety
information (Hiddink, Worsely).
- Nutrition education programs involving 1-3
minute "pep-talks" by physicians, followed by
provision of self-help materials, are as
effective as 30 minute counseling sessions from
dieticians in changing food eating behavior
(Shirley, Peiss).
Physicians as Educators
- FoodNet survey of physicians serving
patients at greatest risk of severe foodborne
diseases
- Obstetricians
- Oncologists
- Nephrologists
- Infectious disease physicians
- Purpose: Assess the role of physicians as
food safety educators for high risk patients
Physicians as Educators
- 80% perceive foodborne illness as a serious
problem in immunocompromised patients
- 51% perceive their patients as at risk of
foodborne illness
- 80% want to be aware of the risks
Physicians as Educators
- 54% perceive educating patients about
foodborne illness as the physician’s role
- 30% provide foodborne information to
patients
- 70% of those who did not provide food safety
information want to do so
- Physicians serving at-risk patients are in
the ideal position to serve as food-safety
educators
Background of Primer
- Update providers on their role in food
safety
- Developed by AMA, CDC, FDA, FSIS
- CMEs and CEUs
- Available online or in print
Distribution of Primer
- 15,000 "colorful" version
- MMWR
- Sent to >600,000 public health
professionals weekly
- Includes ~400,000 to providers through
JAMA
Components of Primer
- Introduction and clinical considerations
- Patient scenarios
- Botulism, E. coli O157:H7,
Enterotoxogenic E. coli, Listeria
- Fold-out tables of foodborne illnesses
- Bacterial, parasitic, viral,
non-infectious agents
- Clinical vignettes for self-evaluation
- Suggested reading
- Patient education handout
- CME examination
CMEs and CEUs
| |
CME |
CEU |
| Total participants completing primer |
1,502 |
685 |
| Total submitted online |
621 |
312 |
| Total submitted mail/fax |
881 |
373 |
Evaluation: How CEU and CME participants
learned about Primer
Graphic shows most people completing the primer
learned about the educational activity through
their MMWR subscription.
Evaluation: Work setting of CEU and CME
participants
Graphic shows the largest percentage of
physicians completing the primer worked in a
hospital clinic or private practice. Most of those
seeking CEUs worked at state or local health
departments or in hospital/private practice.
Evaluation: Number of patients with foodborne
illness treated by participants
Graphic shows: CDC asked how many patients with
foodborne illness participants treated each month.
Most respondants indicated that they treated less
than 5.
Evaluation: How CEU and CME participants will
use Primer
Graphic shows most physicians plan to use the
primer in educating their patients about food
safety and as local practice guidelines.
Updated Primer
- New patient scenarios
- Norwalk-like virus - Hepatitis A
- Salmonella
- Toxoplasma
CNE and CHES credits
3-year availability of credit hours
Tentative release: Late 2002/Early 2003
www.cdc.gov/foodsafety