ArticleBMC family practice2010
U.S. healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions concerning Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Article 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 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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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.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Is there a role for traditional and complementary medicines in managing chronic fatigue? a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Underuse of Pharmacologic Therapies for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Before Specialist Evaluation.Annals of family medicine · 2026Article
- Information exchange or discussion? A qualitative study on cross-sectoral collaboration between social security service and healthcare service for patients with chronic fatigue.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Possible Racial Disparities in the Diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Identifying microRNAs Possibly Implicated in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia: A Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Commonalities in the Features of Cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): Evidence for Stress-Induced Phenotype Instability?International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Dismissing chronic illness: A qualitative analysis of negative health care experiences.Health care for women international · 2019Article
- Healthcare Utilization in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): Analysis of US Ambulatory Healthcare Data, 2000-2009.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2019Article
- A content analysis of chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis in the news from 1987 to 2013.Chronic illness · 2018Article
- Article
- Methods of applying the 1994 case definition of chronic fatigue syndrome - impact on classification and observed illness characteristics.Population health metrics · 2016Article
- News from the CDC: chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and standardized patient videos - a novel approach to educating medical students about CFS.Translational behavioral medicine · 2013Article
- A pilot registry of unexplained fatiguing illnesses and chronic fatigue syndrome.BMC research notes · 2013Article
- CFS in Children and Adolescent: Ten Years of Retrospective Clinical Evaluation.International journal of pediatrics · 2013Article
- Prevalence, incidence, and classification of chronic fatigue syndrome in Olmsted County, Minnesota, as estimated using the Rochester Epidemiology Project.Mayo Clinic proceedings · 2012Article
- Do you think it's a disease? a survey of medical students.BMC medical education · 2012Article
- Cancers that U.S. physicians believe the HPV vaccine prevents: findings from a physician survey, 2009.Journal of women's health (2002) · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness with particular difficulties for healthcare providers because there are no diagnostic signs or laboratory tests and because management aims to merely improve symptoms. Further complicating management, healthcare providers' awareness concerning CFS has not been rigorously assessed. The present study aimed to ascertain United States (U.S.) healthcare providers' awareness of CFS and to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (KAB) related to diagnosis and management of the illness. This information forms the foundation for developing CFS educational strategies.
methodsWe combined convenience and probability samples to measure CFS KAB among healthcare providers. In the convenience sample, 1,255 healthcare providers (81% response rate) from 13 professional conferences completed a 12-item form. Descriptive statistics were reported for 9 KAB item responses and chi-square tests were performed for examining their association with giving a diagnosis of CFS. We used principal component analysis to construct multidimensional subscales and perform a general linear model to examine factors associated with subscales. The probability sample involved data on 15 CFS-specific questions from 2006 and 2007 DocStyles web-based panel surveys collected from 2,750 physicians (average response rate 55%). We calculated descriptive and chi-square statistics. The significance was set at two-tailed with the alpha level of 0.05.
resultsHealthcare providers in both samples were aware of CFS and exhibited a high level of knowledge. Overall, 96% of respondents in the DocStyles (probability) sample had heard about CFS. Healthcare providers in the conference (convenience) sample demonstrated good KAB scores; physicians' scores were highest on KAB scales and lowest in perception. Nurses' scores were lowest in knowledge. More than 40% of physicians reported ever giving a CFS diagnosis and in the DocStyles (probability) sample more than 80% of physicians correctly identified CFS symptoms. Physicians reported professional journals, the Internet, and continuing education programs as the top 3 sources from which they obtain CFS information.
conclusionsFindings from these combined samples fill a gap in the evidence-base of U.S. healthcare providers' and knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs concerning CFS. Importantly, respondents in both samples expressed similar knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions. Awareness was high and negative attitudes were low. The primary areas for future education should address diagnosis and management of CFS and should be delivered through those venues providers indicated they primarily use. Data from this study provide a benchmark for evaluation the success of these future efforts.
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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.