Sleigh the workload: flu antiviral know‑how & the art of not over‑testing to check "I'm well"...

Send us a textGrab your trainers, your dog lead, or even shake your jingle bells, and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. In the second of two episodes this month, Fi and Nik discuss: It’s beginning to look a lot like…flu season. There’s been a LOT of media coverage on seasonal influenza over the past few weeks. But aside from flu jabs, are you confident in where we would use antivirals? We look at the criteria for giving antivirals: for treatment, for prophylaxis, and the evidence behind it.“I would like a blood test to check I am well…” What do you do with this request? We share a handy framework to help, and think about how ‘just ticking a box’ could cause a lot of work down the line!Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. Useful LinksUKHSA guideline (2025): treatment and prophylaxis of influenza GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale CalendarSend us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here. Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedInDisclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.