First e-training course launched to boost diagnosis of ME

University of Manchester

A groundbreaking e-learning course, designed by researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Keele, is being rolled out across the UK to improve diagnosis of ME.

Experts from the University of Manchester’s METRIC (ME Education, Training and Resources in Primary Care) team designed the online course as part of a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded study. It is now being offered by the Royal College of General Practitioners as part of their online learning after a pilot with GPs in the North West.

ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), affects around 250,000 people in the UK, including men, women and children of all social and ethnic backgrounds including as many as 25,000 young people. But because it is clinically difficult to spot, patients may have symptoms for many years but remain undiagnosed.

Dr Lisa Riste, from METRIC which is also part of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC), said: “This is the first e-learning course for GPs and it aims to demystify CFS/ME by highlighting common misconceptions and challenges that GPs may encounter when assessing adults presenting with fatigue.

“The course provides clinical scenarios and short films featuring patients, as well as information and resources to help improve knowledge and skills for diagnosing, assessing and managing adults with CFS/ME.”

Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham, a Manchester GP and Professor of General Practice Research at Keele University, added: “North West GPs piloted the e-learning package and reported having a better understanding of ME/CFS and the challenges that surround this complex condition for patients, carers and primary care professionals. We hope this will lead to improved diagnosis and management of people with ME/CFS across the UK.”

METRIC is funded by the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Programme.