What makes a good GP ?

What makes a good GP for a person
 with Severe ME?

One who is :


  • Medically aware.
  • Knows ME is a neurological disease.
  • Willing to listen.
  • Willing to support.
  • Willing to visit at home.
  • Respectful of hypersensitivity issues, taking them into account, for example noise sensitivity, light sensitivity,touch sensitivity, drug sensitivity.
  • Flexible.
  • Willing to try and proactively find out what is really going on in your body.
  • Aware of the psychiatric misrepresentation and misinterpretation of ME and therefore is not wrongly influenced by inaccurate, misrepresentative reports from unaware practitioners.
  • Understanding.
  • Kind.
  • Attentive.
  • Genuinely concerned.

Comments

  1. CathyJanuary 14, 2015 at 2:57 AM

    An excellent list. You could add: willing to refer for more specialist help when needed eg with pain management.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Holy WayJanuary 14, 2015 at 3:39 AM

    Thank you so much Cathy - absolutely : "willing to refer for more specialist help when needed eg with pain management "is so important. Our experience though is revealing , even though we have a good GP, there is no specialist ME expertise in our area, to refer to- this is a major issue , especially as the pioneers in the field are either retiring or have sadly died, like the wonderful Dr Betty Dowsett. Who, if anyone, is replacing them ? The other issue, of course, is that it is impossible for someone with Very Severe ME, to travel, never mind attend a clinic or hospital. Even if there is someone available, to visit the person at home, there are a host of issues, especially the complex acute hypersensitivities to light, noise, touch, chemicals etc. which must be taken into account through specialist, aware care. Thanks for your very helpful comment Cathy, I am sure we have only touched the surface, there are probably many more points, like yours, that could be added.

    ReplyDelete

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