The Need:
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) has caused significant impairment and disability for millions of people. The pain and disability are compounded by the fact that people with these conditions are often misdiagnosed and slighted by the health care providers to whom they turn for help. In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sought support to accelerate the adoption of the Institute of Medicine’s new diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS, particularly among clinicians, aiming to make the disease easier to recognize and diagnose. CDC contracted with McKing to engage stakeholders and develop a plan to best communicate the latest ME/CFS recommendations through materials and content on CDC’s website.
Results:
Based on review and analysis of the findings from multiple roundtable discussions and additional feedback from project stakeholders and participants, McKing offered recommendations for CDC to continue work on ME/CFS in three key areas: website revisions/updates; continued stakeholder engagement; and educational materials development. Based on these recommendations CDC again contracted with McKing to continue the ME/CFS educational materials project, focusing on stakeholder engagement and taking the recommendations and feedback from the first phase to develop materials for both patients with ME/CFS and medical providers.
- Client:
- National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
- Core Service Area:
- Communications and Marketing
- URL:
- https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/
