Journal of IiME Volume 5 Issue 1 (May 2011) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Education in the United States continued pleaded for dialogue and feedback on any of my proposals. I have heard nothing. The only mechanism for medical student education for CFS is the medical student scholarship programs run by patient advocate organizations. We now have programs running in three states. How many scholarship programs must be mounted by state patient advocate groups before the CDC mounts a single, national medical student program? Comments on Continuing Medical Education for Physicians To my knowledge, the CDC's on-line continuing medical education CFS course is the only involvement of the federal government in healthcare provider education. Does the CDC honestly believe that sitting in front of a computer screen for a few hours will make a physician capable of diagnosing and treating CFS? From the CFS Community's perspective, what is the impact of the on-line course on diagnosis and treatment of CFS? • From Vermont CFIDS Association: There is no increase in the number of physicians who diagnose or treat CFS in this state. • From New Jersey Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Association: The number of requests for physician referrals to our helpline has not diminished. Comments on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Educational Materials In my opinion, all federal and private sector literature concerning Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is out of date. There is no established mechanism for updating health care provider literature. Of the available literature, the most authoritative and accepted source of information on Chronic Invest in ME (Charity Nr. 1114035) Fatigue Syndrome is a physician's diagnosis and treatment manual not produced by the Centers for Disease Control, not produced by the National Institutes of Health, but produced by the New Jersey Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Association - The Consensus Manual for the Primary Care and Management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I ask that this Committee recommend to the U.S. Secretary of Health: • That a national diagnosis and treatment manual for CFS be created, • That a panel be formed to write this manual, • That the Department of Health and Human Services underwrite the expense of producing and distributing this manual. With regard to the recent Spark! Awareness Campaign and the accompanying Physicians Toolkit, not one patient in the State of Vermont ever saw the patient pamphlet. An incredible waste of money! Conclusions The only on-going educational programs for medical students and physicians that involve human contact come from patient advocate groups. • Patient advocate groups are the current source of educational materials for CFS. • They rely on the assistance of academicians. • If academicians are threatened with termination of employment for participating in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome education, there will be no educational programs. I beg you to consider the magnitude of this problem. I beg you to undertake a course of remedial action. Thank-you! www.investinme.org Page 46/58
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