An Audit of UK Hospital Doctors’ Knowledge and Experience of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, 2021, Hng, Geraghty & Pheby

Abstract
Background and Objectives:
There is some evidence that knowledge and understanding of ME among doctors is limited. Consequently, an audit study was carried out on a group of hospital doctors attending a training event to establish how much they knew about ME and their attitudes towards it.

Materials and Methods:
Participants at the training event were asked to complete a questionnaire, enquiring about prior knowledge and experience of ME and their approaches to diagnosis and treatment. A total of 44 completed questionnaires were returned. Responses were tabulated, proportions selecting available options determined, 95% confidence limits calculated, and the significance of associations determined by Fisher’s exact test.

Results:
Few respondents had any formal teaching on ME, though most had some experience of it. Few knew how to diagnose it and most lacked confidence in managing it. None of the respondents who had had teaching or prior experience of ME considered it a purely physical illness. Overall, 91% of participants believed ME was at least in part psychological. Most participants responded correctly to a series of propositions about the general epidemiology and chronicity of ME. There was little knowledge of definitions of ME, diagnosis, or of clinical manifestations. Understanding about appropriate management was very deficient.

Similarly, there was little appreciation of the impact of the disease on daily living or quality of life. Where some doctors expressed confidence diagnosing or managing ME, this was misplaced as they were incorrect on the nature of ME, its diagnostic criteria and its treatment. Conclusion: This audit demonstrates that most doctors lack training and clinical expertise in ME. Nevertheless, participants recognised a need for further training and indicated a wish to participate in this.

It is strongly recommended that factually correct and up-to-date medical education on ME be made a priority at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is also recommended that this audit be repeated following a period of medical education.

https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/57/9/885

 

How can there be any form of factually correct understanding if they are trained by those that refuse to diagnose ME properly or understand the difference between ME and cfs ?

Most if not all young people with ME are having to have private diagnosis to make sure they are safe with the knowledge of t=what their illness is.
Most if not all young people have
PEM
hEDS or EDS
POTS
on going infection/parasites
Autoimmune
Mast Cell/histamine
intolerance
All ignored or denied by paediatric who say that private diagnosis is /fabrication or Inducing Illness as parents are influencing consultants or paying for diagnosis.

Not sure how they can say that bending you little finger to wrist both sides = 2 or thumbs to wrist both sides = 2 bend knees back = rotate elbows =2 and touch the floor with knees strait = 1 giving a full sore for EDS of 9 can be fabricated but there we go. Neither can young persons HR and BP be fabricated done by a professionals but it is apparently.

we need someone to carry out such research on those young people who are at the cfs centres and for them to be assess for the above and then look at the evidence. Now that would be interesting, shocking and should have been done about 30
years ago