ILADS’ efforts to increase the level of understanding and expertise about Lyme and associated diseases within the medical community are in service of a larger goal -- to improve care for patients with tick-borne infections. ILADS recognizes that the person most impacted by the onset of Lyme is the patient. Our members are dedicated to shared decision making, which in addition to the best scientific evidence and clinical expertise, takes into account the patient’s values and preferences in deciding among available treatment options. Informed patients are better able to participate in their care, and better able to navigate a medical structure in which Lyme and its associated diseases are often poorly understood. 

Our sister organization, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Education Foundation (ILADEF) has created a series of materials — Lyme Disease 101 — designed to equip any patient, or member of the media or public, with the basic facts about Lyme disease and Lyme care.