Respecting Influenza: An Evidence-based Overview for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners

• Influenza is a serious acute viral respiratory infection that causes significant morbidity and mortality.
• Influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older.
• Influenza is challenging to diagnose based on clinical symptoms alone.
• Point-of-care rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) can assist in the diagnosis of influenza; however, RIDTs have a high rate of false negatives. Thus, treatment with antivirals should not be withheld from individuals at high risk for complications even if they test negative on an RIDT.
• Neuraminidase inhibitors are effective at reducing the duration of symptoms, the duration of viral shedding, the severity of illness, and the rate of influenza complications.

Influenza is a severe acute viral respiratory illness that affects the upper respiratory tract and lungs and is caused by seasonal, pandemic, or variant viral strains. Although seasonal influenza is usually self-limiting, it is a significant cause of mortality in the elderly, children under 2 years old, and at-risk populations. Pandemic and variant influenza strains also result in increased mortality. Primary care nurse practitioners have an important role in the prevention, recognition, and management of influenza. This article provides a current, evidence-based overview of influenza, including its pathophysiology, epidemiology, transmission, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.