We have created this space for health care professionals who would like to learn more about Lyme disease and its impact on patients. On this page, you’ll find resources and helpful tools to improve symptom recognition and diagnosis. Feel free to share these resources with your colleagues and don’t hesitate to get in contact with us if you have any questions and/or suggestions. We also have a downloadable PDF with information on how to quickly update your practice.
Lyme Disease – Key Points on Diagnosis, Testing and Treatment
Lyme Disease: Resources and Guidance from GOV.UK
For information about the characteristics, diagnosis, management, surveillance and epidemiology of Lyme disease, you may find this area of the GOV.UK website useful.
NICE Lyme Disease Guideline
The NICE Lyme disease guidance was published in April 2018 and last updated in October 2018. It aims to cover the diagnoses and management of Lyme disease. It also aims to raise awareness of when Lyme disease should be suspected and to ensure that people have prompt and consistent diagnosis and treatment. It does not cover the prevention of Lyme disease.
LDUK commented extensively on the draft guideline, labelling it as ‘an inadequate tool for doctors and patients, seriously undermined by lack of evidence’. The usefulness of the guideline is therefore called into question, with cause for concern over patients being under-treated, undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. We desperately need new research into better treatment protocols as the current treatment on offer is based on limited and outdated research.
LDUK is however, pleased to note that some of our stakeholder comments on the draft NICE guideline were incorporated into the final version. For more on this please visit www.lymediseaseuk.com/nice-lyme-disease.
NICE Lyme Disease Quality Standard
The Quality Standard for Lyme disease is aimed at raising awareness and prevention of Lyme disease. It highlights important areas for improvement in patient care.
RCGP Lyme Disease Toolkit and Course
Dr Anne Cruikshank (RCGP Clinical Champion for Lyme Disease) and Dr Sandra Pearson (Former Medical Director, Lyme Disease Action), with support from the wider Spotlight Project steering group, have developed an RCGP Lyme Disease Toolkit. There is also an RCGP/LDA Lyme disease e-learning module – free to RCGP members.
Guidance for Counsellors and Therapists
If you are a counsellor or therapist supporting someone with Lyme disease, you may benefit from reading this guide we created to help raise awareness of the issues and experiences that many patients with late-stage Lyme disease live with.
Further Resources
There are genuine scientific uncertainties surrounding both diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. The NICE guideline committee has noted the poor-quality evidence available on both diagnosis and treatment. Further research was recommended. We have compiled a list of further resources, which you may find useful.