What are the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of health care professionals about CFS & fibromyalgia

[Dolphin]

M.Sc Thesis Reypert

Source: University of Cape Town
Date: February 13, 2016. Online: July 18, 2016
URL: https://open.uct.ac.za/handle/11427/20427
https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/handle/11427/20427/thesis_hsf_2016_reypert_garth.pdf


What are the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of health care professionals about chronic fatigue syndromes and fibromyalgia: a systematic review to guide curriculum development
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Garth Reypert
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Dept. of Public Health & Family
Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa


Abstract

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a relatively unknown disease and is often referred to as a diagnosis of exclusion.

Diagnostic tests are not available for this disease because a single empirical cause or marker has yet to be discovered.

This means that diagnosis and management is almost solely based on the skill of the health care professional to notice the signs and symptoms of the disease, the subtleties of which often only come with experience.

While some studies have assessed the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of health care professionals (HCP) towards CFS/ME, none have reviewed all the studies focused on health care professionals to aide students and inexperienced professionals to avoid negative behaviours that might lead to a CFS/ME patient not being diagnosed as having CFS/ME.

This review contains three parts.

Part A is the protocol for the review.

This will highlight the background of CFS/ME knowledge and outline the review's methodology.

The review will take the form of a qualitative systematic review.

Six databases will be searched with the relevant keywords and search terms outlined in the protocol.

Appropriate articles will be selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria defined in the protocol.

Part B is the literature review of the existing research available in the field of CFS/ME, the knowledge of the disease and the attitudes and beliefs of health care professionals about CFS/ME.

It will provide a background for the full systematic review in Part C.

This review will detail what is known about CFS/ME as a disease, report on potential causal mechanisms for CFS/ME as a disease and report on the scope of the disease in epidemiological terms.

Part C is the full systematic review.

It follows the previous section in the description of the background as well as outlining the methodology followed.

The results of the search are then reviewed and discussed in detail.

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(c) 2016 University of Cape Town

 

[Jeckylberry]

Wow! This is a very interesting study! It's pretty sad, too.

I find it amazing that there is still such hostility! It seems that there is sense of futility and dashed expectations coupled with students getting little power trips from denegrating people their mentors despise - you know, that dark little thrill when bullying someone is endorsed by your idol.

"HCPs Knowledge, Attitude and Beliefs about CFS/ME significantly improved when training was interactive with CFS/ME patients. This resulted in the correct use of the treatment options and improved knowledge of CFS/ME guidelines available to HCPs. "

How basic is this?

The review highlights the need for empathy. I'd also suggest that the expectations of wellness be addressed. One of the issues seems to be that HCP's think patients (perfect patients somewhere in the ether) will recover in a certain time, and that they can get well if they *** and then they get all disappointed, frustrated and accusative when it fails. This leads to lack of interest and even, it seems, to not allowing patients access to information while delaying diagnosis. Some report not even following the checklist but to doing tests and coming up with normal. It's like a subconscious avoidance of the subject because of the unknown, potentially negative -hard slog treatment that will keep appearing to work then not- consequences. Everything the patient does to push their cause is seen as hostile by the HCP until both parties despise each other. Perhaps this is why such hostilities are not seen in MS where the prognosis is much less vague. People do recover from MS but there is no expectation that they will or must, or should.

The only way to do this is to, as the study suggests, SHUT UP, LISTEN AND LEARN!