Questionnaire suggestions.
What a brilliant survey you clever people have created during (my) the night :Sign Good Job:
I've looked through the questionnaire and just wondered about the following:
What about asking about the person's job when they became ill: medical, educational, office, homeworker, manual...
What about qualifications: degree, technical, non-tertiary-level qualifications........ If a high proportion have advanced level qualifications, the governments may be more interested because of the financial ramifications.
Concerning the sleep question. Could a question be included asking whether the person relies on sleep meds? Without them, I have not been able to sleep at all since the beginning of my illness. To say that I sleep for four hours is therefore a bit misleading as I can't without a lot of meds.
I am also wondering about the Past question. I know it would make it cumbersome, but it is important I think to find out if the person has improved or deteriorated. Could the Past question relect that? Or maybe just ask add an additional question enquiring whther the current level is worse or better than the past. I have heard that the cognitive disabilities worsen over time, but maybe the physical improve. It would be useful to find this out.
Being in the U.K.,I have had virtually no M.E. - related tests over 30 years, even though for most of those years I have been bed- or house-bound. It is important to be able to say that there have been no tests. otherwise the results could be scewed.
Also, the questionnaire asks about what other diagnoses you have received. Well, again there are no tests given. However, - with the help of a friend who is a doctor, and on a purely informal basis, I could tick some of the boxes. But the question says 'diagnosed', which I assume to mean by one's G.P. or consultant - (neither of mine will test me for anything, apart from very basic bloods).....so the truthful answer is no, although I know I have the conditions. Could this be made clearer?
Would this be a useful time to ask about infectivity? I have a number of questions, which I was going to use for a poll, as Kim knows. I wonder if they could be added, if I write them here.? It would include four extra small boxes. I haven't got time to write them up just at the minute, but could do so later today, if folk think it useful.
Just a few thoughts......