According to a paper by medical student Priya Agarwal, published in the journal ‘healthcare’, there is disagreement among healthcare providers as to how most appropriately treat people with ME/CFS.
Agarwal explains that despite recent advancements in understanding relating to the biological basis of ME/CFS, the disease remains largely misunderstood. Unfortunately, as those with ME/CFS will be aware, this means that some healthcare providers still erroneously attribute the origins of the disease to psychosocial causes.
In the article, it is stated that to combat misconceptions relating to ME/CFS amongst health professionals, ideally, evidence-based education would be provided early on in their training.
However in 2021 Dr Nina Muirhead co-authored a paper on ‘Medical School Education on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis’ which identified that:
“Of the medical schools responding, 41% do not teach the subject at all. Data on the 59% of the medical schools that do cover ME/CFS show that education is delivered by multiple medical specialists, mostly by lectures of one-hour duration, which is not always examinable and often takes place without any exposure to patients with the disease.”
While there is a clear lack of information on ME/CFS in medical education, Agarwal explains that changing medical school curricula can be challenging and time consuming. Therefore, a more pragmatic option is to incorporate information about ME/CFS into training, known as continued medical education (CME), that healthcare professionals complete to maintain their competence, stay updated with medical advancements, and improve patient care.
Within the paper, it is emphasised that CME relating to ME/CFS should reflect research supporting the biological nature of the disease. It is also noted that training should educate health professionals on the negative impact that living with the disease can have on mental health.
Additional recommendations for health professionals made within the article included:
- Offer compassionate and evidence-based care to people living with the disease.
- Where possible, offer telemedicine visits.
- Make recommendations for resources to support symptom management.
- Encourage pacing strategies to teach people with ME/CFS how to manage their limited energy and avoid post exertional malaise (PEM).
- Be aware that people with ME/CFS may need longer appointments compared with people who have other illnesses.
- Suggest practical resources – such as mobility devices and modifications in the home – to help people with ME/CFS complete day to day activities.
- Regularly screen people with ME/CFS for mental health issues which may arise as a result of living with the disease. Where additional support is required, physicians should specifically recommend therapists who have experience of chronic illness.
- People with ME/CFS should be informed about reputable online resources relating to the disease, local or online support groups which they may want to join, and any relevant research opportunities that they may wish to take part in.
Importantly, the authors of the article state that health professionals should prioritise listening to the concerns of their ‘patients’ to build trust and understanding.
