The Royal College of General Practitioners has launched its new Lyme Disease Toolkit which should prove to be a highly useful and accessible resource for GPs, other medical professionals and the general public wanting to learn more about the disease. The Toolkit was developed by Dr Anne Cruikshank (RCGP Clinical Champion for Lyme Disease) and Dr Sandra Pearson (Medical Director, Lyme Disease Action), with support from the wider Spotlight Project steering group.
“We hope that this toolkit will prove to be a valuable resource in helping to raise awareness of Lyme disease, further develop medical education and improve patient outcomes.” – Dr Anne Cruikshank
“Early diagnosis and adequate treatment provide the best chance of cure. Late diagnosis and inadequate treatment may result in continuing health problems.” – RCGP Lyme Disease Toolkit
“Lyme serology may be supportive, though a negative test result does not necessarily exclude the diagnosis.” – RCGP Lyme Disease Toolkit
The Toolkit is very user-friendly and summarises key facts about the disease as well as crucial points on testing, treatment, prevention and scientific uncertainties. It also signposts readers to useful resources from a range of different sources. It serves to highlight some of the key messages found in the NICE guideline for Lyme disease and expands on them to provide further context and clarity.
“Clinicians should be aware of the genuine scientific uncertainties and on-going research in relation to both diagnosis and treatment of this disease” – RCGP Lyme Disease Toolkit
“Early diagnosis and adequate treatment provide the best chance of cure. Late diagnosis and inadequate treatment may result in continuing health problems and on rare occasions life-threatening consequences.”
– RCGP Lyme Disease Toolkit
“Many doctors and patients report benefit from combined and extended antibiotic treatment regimes.”
-RCGP Lyme Disease Toolkit
“The optimal treatment regimes for EM rashes and disseminated Lyme disease have not yet been determined.”
– RCGP Lyme Disease Toolkit
If you are a patient, it’s worth showing your GP the new Lyme Disease Toolkit which succinctly covers so many important points in order to aid understanding and awareness as well as the online course on Lyme disease, co-created by the RCGP and the charity Lyme Disease Action. Thank you to the RCGP, Lyme Disease Action, ILADS and the Spotlight Project for putting together such great resources to better equip doctors for dealing with Lyme disease and understanding its complexities and uncertainties.