I've always believed that regardless of the role you play in health care-doctor, nurse, volunteer, technician, or even a lowly publisher of an industry publication-you have a responsibility that goes beyond just doing your job. You need to lead by example.

Today we are called upon to exercise that leadership in regards to the H1N1 virus, the latest health concern that, because it is still relatively new, has the general public caught up in confusion, fear, and in some cases, panic.

I personally have heard everything from this virus being no more than a threat than any other, to it potentially becoming a pandemic. Early reports I saw said the most at risk populations were the elderly, the very young, and those with pre-existing conditions. Yet a recent news article has the Center for Disease Control saying that about half of those hospitalized with the new H1N1 virus are under age 25, clearly illustrating that it is hitting young, seemingly healthy individuals disproportionately.

Compounding the problem is the currently inadequate amount of vaccine available for widespread distribution-along with the ever-present confusion of just who exactly should get inoculated. As an aside, this combined dilemma is potentially shameful for a nation that has tremendous resources and the most efficient mass communication system in the world. It is not as if H1N1 appeared on the healthcare radar screen in the past month. I recently went to get a shot for myself and I was told not only were they out of them, but they didn't anticipate getting additional supplies. As someone who remembers well such scarcity challenges as running all around town trying to find a Cabbage Patch Doll or Tickle Me Elmo, I can tell you that I have little patience for trying to track down a flu shot.

In times like these, your patients, family members, friends, and neighbors look to you and even me for opinions and, more importantly, answers. It doesn't matter if your particular occupation within health care, like mine, does little to qualify you as a resource for critical health information. That's life, so you need to deal with it.

I would suggest that, depending on where you work, find out if your facility already has easy-to-understand information that you can share with others. If you are not employed in direct care (for example, you are an architect who specializes in healthcare facilities), then contact a hospital or physician's office and see what information they have to offer.

Most important, however, is to make sure you walk the walk. Often we in health care are great at giving advice to others, but we don't heed it ourselves. Seek the advice of your family doctor as to what precautions you and your family should take to keep your risk of contracting the H1N1 virus to a minimum. No doubt some suggested practices will be simple, but important, such as proper hand washing or how to cover up when sneezing. But some of the measures might be tailored to your specific family health histories.

H1N1 should not be taken lightly. But in times like these, the best approach is to seek as much good information as possible and to share what you learn with others. In this way, we in the healthcare industry will be doing everything we can to make sure that as the H1N1 virus spreads, we are preventing panic from spreading with it.

Harvey D. Kart