When does ignoring evidence by doctors become serious professional misconduct ?

Professor Hooper, 19 February 2010:

   "For the psychiatrists to amalgamate 25 different disorders (Holgate, RSM July 2009) and to focus on “medically unexplained fatigue” whilst ignoring cardinal symptoms of ME is a travesty of medical science.

  Of special concern and relevance are the legal and ethical requirements facing doctors today, in particular, the legal requirement for doctors to keep up to date with developments in medicine and medical science (as clearly set out in" “Good Medical Practice: Duties of a doctor."

  "The duties of a doctor registered with the General Medical Council: "'Keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date' and 'Never abuse your patients' trust in you or the public's trust in the profession'(http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice/duties_of_a_doctor.asp).

  Ignoring vast swathes of evidence is not keeping up to date.  For any registered medical practitioner – consultant or GP -- to dismiss or ignore this widely available evidence which invalidates the behavioural model of “CFS/ME”, together with the prescription of inappropriate interventions, is in clear breach of the GMC regulations and consequently raises issues of medical indemnity.

  As noted in the report: “"since the general body of knowledge known about by other clinicians and researchers working in the field of ME/CFS is now so great, the question repeatedly asked is: at what point will that body of scientific knowledge be so great that it will be considered serious professional misconduct to ignore it and to continue to deceive patients by pretending that it does not exist?”".