CDC’s New ME/CFC Guidance For Clinicians

In order to care for patients that have ME/CFs, the healthcare providers that are experienced in the area of the managing of this illness, typically develop an individualized treatment plan where it comes to each patient. You will see that this is really a team effort between the patients as well as their caregivers and loved ones.

Furthermore, you will see that the individualized treatment program that best meets the needs of the patients is evaluated periodically based on the progress of each patient.

So, what are the essential guidelines where it comes to treating patients with CFS/ME? Let’s take a look.

The guidelines for treating patients with CFS/ME.

It is absolutely imperative for the healthcare provider to first establish which of the symptoms are the most disruptive, and then tailor the treatment plans accordingly. In fact, the treatment should be directed towards the most problematic symptoms, as directed by the patient. Furthermore, it is also important to incorporate the strategies that will help to prevent the worsening of symptoms, into the initial and subsequent treatment plans.

You will find that in the case of PEM, healthcare providers need to understand that in the cases of patients with ME/CFS exceeding their individual capacities, PEM and serious deterioration of function might result. What they need to do then is advise the patients about those ‘push and crash’ cycles. There are in fact instances of patients that sometimes have a good day, responding to the situation by doing too much to make up for that lost time, and then relapsing in the process.

In the case of any activity or exercise plan that is designed for the patient, the input must be taken from the patient. There are some patients for whom even small tasks might seem gargantuan; things like taking a shower or even preparing a meal. These might need to be broken down into shorter and less strenuous pieces.

Some healthcare providers might do this if they feel the need. It is important because if the exercise plans are not designed and executed carefully, then the patients might experience setbacks and serious deteriorations in health.

This is very important, as ME/CFS can be most unpredictable, and can change over the course of time. You will see that as in the case of many chronic illnesses, the lengths of intervals between visits might vary from patient to patient, and it would depend on the intensity of the symptoms and the degree of control over them. What the scheduled re-evaluations do, then, is serve as opportunities to adjust the treatment strategies as needed, based on the individual status of the patient in question.

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