Trial reportBMC family practice2010
Making the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalitis in primary care: a qualitative study.
Trial report in BMC family practice, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A Literature Review of GP Knowledge and Understanding of ME/CFS: A Report from the Socioeconomic Working Group of the European Network on ME/CFS (EUROMENE).Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2020Pooled it
- Behavioural modification interventions for medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: systematic reviews and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Cost-effectiveness of supported self-management for CFS/ME patients in primary care.BMC family practice · 2013Trial
- Possible Racial Disparities in the Diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Virtual reality education on myalgic encephalomyelitis for medical students and healthcare professionals: a pilot study.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Altered TRPM7-Dependent Calcium Influx in Natural Killer Cells of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients.Biomolecules · 2023Article
- Using Communities of Practice Theory to Understand the Crisis of Identity in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).Chronic illness · 2023Article
- Article
- Commonalities in the Features of Cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): Evidence for Stress-Induced Phenotype Instability?International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Male vs. Female Differences in Responding to Oxygen-Ozone Autohemotherapy (OJournal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Greatly Improved Fatigue Symptoms When Treated with Oxygen-Ozone Autohemotherapy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- Consequences of a Diagnostic Label: A Systematic Scoping Review and Thematic Framework.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- Striking the balance with epistemic injustice in healthcare: the case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.Medicine, health care, and philosophy · 2020Article
- Understanding the economic impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in Ireland: a qualitative study.HRB open research · 2020Article
- Introducing the System for Observing Medical Alliances (SOMA): A Tool for Studying Concordance in Patient-Physician Relationships.The Counseling psychologist · 2019Article
- Empirical Evaluation of Veterans' Perceived Non-Concordance with Providers Regarding Medically Unexplained Symptoms.The Counseling psychologist · 2019Article
- Hope, disappointment and perseverance: Reflections of people with Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Multiple Sclerosis participating in biomedical research. A qualitative focus group study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2019Article
- Are ME/CFS Patient Organizations "Militant"? : Patient Protest in a Medical Controversy.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2018Article
- A reexamination of the cognitive behavioral model of chronic fatigue syndrome.Journal of clinical psychology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNICE guidelines emphasise the role of the primary care team in the management of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalitis (CFS/ME). A key stage in effective management is making an accurate early diagnosis, supported by appropriate referral.
methodsA nested qualitative study within a multi-centre randomised controlled trial which aimed to explore GPs' views on their role in making the diagnosis of CFS/ME and subsequent management of patients in primary care. Semi-structured interviews with 22 GPs. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and an iterative approach used to develop themes from the dataset.
resultsGPs described difficulties in defining CFS/ME and suggested that their role in making a diagnosis was to exclude physical causes for the patient's symptoms, but they reported little confidence in positively attributing the label of CFS/ME to a patient and their symptoms. GPs suggested that the label of CFS/ME could be potentially harmful for the patient. The role of referral to secondary care was debated and GPs struggled defining their own role in management of this group of patients.
conclusionsUntil GPs feel comfortable making the diagnosis of CFS/ME and facilitating initial management, and have appropriate services to refer patients to, there will continue to be delays in confirming the diagnosis and patients presenting in primary care with fatigue may not receive appropriate care.
trial registrationISRCTN 74156610.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.