♪ compelling music
As a military Service Member, a family member
or as a Veteran who proudly served
you are aware of the potential hazards of military service
but what should you do if you are experiencing health issues
that are difficult to diagnose, or medically unexplained?
How can you and your Healthcare Team work together
to manage symptoms that are consistent with
Chronic Multisymptom Illness or CMI?
CMI is an important health concern
for service members and Veterans
It is also a critical healthcare issue
for the Veterans Health Administration
and the Department of Defense
I'm an internist and I specialized in
post-deployment healthcare.
I'm also a primary care provider
so I've spent 16 years working in the VA,
helping Veterans with
deployment-related health concerns.
Chronic Multisymptom Illness is one of those concerns.
I think the most important thing for providers to know about CMI is,
what it is, and how to recognize it.
To assist healthcare teams in delivering the best patient centered care
focused on improving
health outcomes for individuals with CMI
DoD and VA experts have worked together
to develop a clinical practice guideline
I am a doctor at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
I trained in both internal medicine and psychiatry.
military providers need to be aware
of the clinical practice guidelines for
chronic multisymptom illness in order to provide care
for active duty service members, family members, and retirees.
The CPG can help us do that.
Chronic multisymptom illness
is a term used by the medical community
for chronic medically unexplained symptoms.
While it can exist in civilian populations,
for Veterans and service members
CMI includes military-specific,
medically unexplained illnesses, such as
Gulf War Illness, Gulf War Syndrome,
or other post-deployment syndromes including
chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia,
and irritable bowel syndrome.
Symptoms vary but can include combinations of
excessive tiredness
headaches, concentration or attention problems
changes in mood, muscle or joint pain
cough, sore throat, ear or nasal symptoms
or stomach and
digestive problems
If you, as a service member or Veteran,
have multiple symptoms like these
lasting longer than six months
ask your healthcare provider about an evaluation for CMI
and work closely with your Healthcare Team
on the best way to manage your symptoms.
The clinical practice guideline is a great resource for providers
because it, first of all, defines what CMI is.
It talks about what some of the risk factors are
for chronic multisymptom illness,
and then, really importantly, it talks about the
general management strategies
as well as some very specific treatment options
that may work for your patient
A toolkit has been developed to give Veterans,
service members and their healthcare providers
access to The CMI clinical practice guideline
and other useful resources.
Visit the US Army Medical Department
Office of Quality Management website
and the VA/DoD clinical practice guidelines website
for more information on obtaining toolkit items.
The CMI toolkit includes
a summary of the CMI clinical practice guideline
a CMI pocket card, for healthcare providers
and frequently asked questions
for patients and family members.
The clinical practice guidelines includes the basics
and framework of providing the
recommendations of care
for patients experiencing chronic multisymptom illness.
The full CPG can be found at this website
Here, healthcare providers will find valuable
CMI managemet strategies including
A collaborative, team-based approach
The use of shared-decision making principles to
develop a comprehensive and personalilzed treatment plan
and critical domains where enhanced knowledge
may be beneficial when caring
for patients with CMI.
Using the tools and strategies in the CMI Clinical Practice Guideline
can improve health outcomes and help providers to
Optimize the use of available therapies
to reduce the symptoms of CMI and enhance quality of life
Minimize preventable complications
and emphasize the use of personalized,
proactive, patient-driven care
By taking the time to learn more about these tools
we can accomplish the mission
of improved care and quality of life
♪ uplifting music