Dr. Handout based on ICP

The ME INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS PRIMER (ICP) for medical practitioners is a valuable tool for working with your doctor to get diagnosis and treatment for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).  Unfortunately, very few doctors are familiar with this important information.

The Challenge

Doctors have limited time to devote to diagnosis and treatment.  For complex diseases, like ME, doctors are at a disadvantage.  ME, if mentioned at all, is not adequately covered in medical school or in continuing medical education.  The latest research that helps experts and patients better understand ME does not reach the average doctor.  This lack of proper information leads to many doctors using outdated information that includes harmful and or ineffective treatments including graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavior therapy.

The Situation

In 2012 expert clinicians put together the ME ICP to guide doctors in diagnosis and treatment of ME.  The ICP provides information to better understand the biological abnormalities seen in ME that help guide best treatment practices.  Some patients find compassionate doctors willing to use the information in the ICP to better care for their ME patients.  Unfortunately, most doctors are unaware of what the ICP has to offer.

A Path Forward

ME International’s team of volunteers came together to create a two page info sheet which introduces doctors to the value of the ICP.

The goal was to create an easy to read information sheet to help doctors better care for ME patients.

The result is a doctor handout titled:
A MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS GUIDE FOR DIAGNOSING AND TREATING MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (ME)

There are two versions:

1. color version  with hyperlinks.
2. black & white version for printing out (minimizes use of ink)

Feedback Appreciated

Please let us know if this document helped you do any of the following:

1. Helped you better understand ME
   
2. Empowered you to seek better professional care
   
3. Improved your relationship with your doctor
   
4. Led to more lab testing
   
5. Led to improved treatment
   

In Addition

Thank you to Dr. Nigel Speight for the powerful message to physicians in the final quote on this doctor handout.  

Dr. Speight is a paediatrician from the northeast of the UK (Durham) with a longstanding special interest in paediatric ME. He is the medical/paediatric adviser to several UK charities including the ME Association, the TYMES Trust and the 25% group. He has written a case report, Severe ME in Children, which can be found on the Severe ME page on our website and Dr. Speight was a co-author of the International Consensus Criteria for ME and the Paediatric Primer.