BMC Medical Discover ME

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a profoundly disabling chronic condition, often characterised by debilitating fatigue, post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep and cognitive difficulties.

Despite its high impact on quality of life, there remains a persistent and worrying gap in awareness, knowledge and empathy within healthcare education and practice.

Read the research paper in BMC Medical Education (2024)

In recognition of this educational deficit, the authors evaluated an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience called “Discover ME”—developed in partnership with Hope 4 ME & Fibro NI—to explore whether such an approach could boost both knowledge about ME/CFS and empathy for people living with the condition.

Using a pilot quasi-experimental design with medical students and primary-care professionals (n = 43), the study found statistically significant improvements in both knowledge (medium effect size) and empathy (large effect size) immediately following the VR experience.

These findings are especially important against a backdrop of widely documented low levels of ME/CFS‐related teaching in medical education, frequent reports of stigma and minimisation of the illness, and absence of diagnostic biomarkers.

At Hope 4 ME & Fibro NI we believe that meaningful change in patient experience begins with transformation in education and awareness. This study demonstrates that innovative tools such as VR can open new avenues for engaging future and current health-care professionals, challenging preconceptions, and ultimately improving how ME/CFS is understood and managed.

17/09/2024