Education and Training

NHS ENGLAND: E-LEARNING MODULES ON ME/CFS

This 2024/25 E-learning programme has been developed in collaboration with patient groups and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) as a resource for all healthcare practitioners looking to enhance their knowledge and support for individuals living with ME/CFS.

Module development has been overseen by Dr David Strain (Consultant to the Exeter ME/CFS specialist service) and Essi Niitymaki (Technology Enhanced Learning(TEL) Education Content Senior Project Manager, NHS England). Also involved were clinicians with an interest in ME/CFS, representatives from the DHSC and other government departments, charity representatives (including from the ME Association), and people with lived experience.

The modules are part of the work that stakeholders have been developing with the DHSC for the Delivery Plan on ME/CFS (which is expected to be published in full by the end of June 2025). 

The E-Learning Modules aim to:

• highlight the variability in patient experiences and the impact of ME/CFS on individuals and their families.
• underscore the importance of early and accurate diagnosis, specialist referral, pacing, symptom management, and use of supportive networks.
• encourage the adoption of NICE Guideline recommendations and a multidisciplinary approach to patient care.

There are 3 modules available, each with slightly different focus:

• Session 1: An Introduction to ME/CFS: aims to provide an introduction to the complex nature of ME/CFS. The session explains what ME/CFS is, discusses the potential causes and diagnostic challenges and provides an overview of possible management strategies.
• Session 2: Guidance for Community-based Healthcare Providers: aims to inform and empower healthcare practitioners with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively diagnose, manage, and support patients with ME/CFS.
• Session 3: will focus on recognising severe and very severe ME/CFS and delivering appropriate care and support. It is due to be released in May 2025.

LEARNA STUDY PRN: ME/CFS

FREE online CPD module composed of 10 clinical cases assessing your knowledge of ME/CFS. Receive a 1 Hour CPD Certificate on successful completion of this module.

The module will challenge your clinical knowledge and patient management as a Healthcare Professional. It has been written by clinical and patient experts including Dr Nina Muirhead (Doctors with ME), Dr Charles Shepherd (The ME Association), and members of the CFS/ME Research Collaborative (CMRC).

• Post-exertional malaise as a principal feature of ME/CFS
• Main diagnostic features of ME/CFS
• Commonly comorbid conditions related to ME/CFS
• The importance of early and accurate diagnosis
• The dangers of prescribing exercise for ME/CFS
• Differential diagnoses that may emerge when considering and following a diagnosis of ME/CFS
• Relevant blood tests and investigations excluding alternative diagnoses and establishing disease features relevant to ME/CFS
• Evaluating the needs of individuals in formulating treatment plans and propose the need for the development of disease-specific pharmacological management
• The importance of providing patients with relevant documentation in connection with applications for state benefits, and social and community care
• The heterogeneous nature of the condition, common patterns of onset, fluctuating levels of ability, variability in presentation, course of illness and outcomes, and range of severity

It is designed to update and assess your clinical knowledge and patient management of the evolving international biomedical narrative on ME/CFS. On successful completion, you will have an improved understanding of: