A new education module designed to teach healthcare professionals about ME has been released.
Send the new module to your GP, using our email template.
The module was created by the CMRC Medical Education group, led by Dr Nina Muirhead, and is available for free online. The Group includes patients, professionals, charities and organisations such as #MEAction Scotland. This one-hour course contains a wealth of information, including how to diagnose the illness, the dangers of exercise, common comorbidities, and best practice in caring for people with ME. It also touches on the current pandemic and the possibility that it will cause an increase in ME patients.
The new module
The module is available through StudyPRN and is accredited for continuing professional development (each year healthcare professionals must complete a certain number of hours of continuing professional development -CPD- to keep their skills and knowledge up to date). The module begins with a short but comprehensive overview of ME, the aims of the module and a reading list. The main focus of the module is ten case studies on which participants are asked questions and then, once they’ve answered, they receive further information about the illness.
The importance of education
Healthcare professionals face an uphill battle to find helpful and accurate educational material on ME. Currently, if healthcare professionals wish to educate themselves about ME, the usual sources of information are inaccurate and often contain out-of-date information. This module gives a brilliant introduction to ME and signposts a plethora of useful resources. People with ME, who are often faced with disbelief at their GP surgery, now have a go-to resource to send to their doctor.
Educate your GP now!
You can play your part in educating your GP by sending them this module. We have prepared a sample GP letter for you to send to your surgery.
Dear (insert GP’s name)
I am a patient at your surgery and am writing to make you aware of a new CPD accredited module available on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). I understand that, due to COVID-19, this is a stressful time for the GPs at the surgery. However, recently several studies, referenced in this article from #MEAction, suggested there may be an increase in post-viral fatigue syndromes and specifically ME in patients recovering from COVID-19.
There are some things GPs can do that will significantly improve the quality of life of their ME patients, as this module demonstrates, but finding accurate information on ME can be difficult. Although the current NICE guidelines on ME are out of date, and are currently being revised, the process has been put on hold due to COVID-19. This new module aims to provide both current information and clear guidance for GPs supporting patients with ME right now.
I would be grateful if you could share this module with the rest of the GPs at your surgery.
Best wishes,
(Insert your name and surname)
3 thoughts on “New ME education module available for healthcare professionals”
This article, and its associated learning module through StudyPRN is written from the perspective of and for the audience of medical professionals in the U.K. Question: If I send to this to my general practitioner (M.D.) in the United States, will he or she take this seriously? [i.e. view it as a reliable source of information] Does the “[accreditation] for continuing professional development” apply to doctors in the U.S.?
Thank You!
Is this a resource that’s going to be available for professionals in the USA anytime soon?
This is an international resource endorsed and contributed to by clinicians all over the world, including many US experts. Please encourage healthcare professionals to take part, this is a very useful learning tool and free to anyone who wishes to sign in/register.
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