Trial reportPsychological medicine2012
The effect of counselling, graded exercise and usual care for people with chronic fatigue in primary care: a randomized trial.
Trial report in Psychological medicine, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 7 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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- The Effect of Walking on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Pooled it
- Cost-effectiveness of Interventions for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations.Applied health economics and health policy · 2021Pooled it
- A mixed-methods systematic review of post-viral fatigue interventions: Are there lessons for long Covid?PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Behavioural modification interventions for medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: systematic reviews and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Pooled it
- Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Telephone-administered versus live group cognitive behavioral stress management for adults with CFS.Journal of psychosomatic research · 2017Trial
- Cost-effectiveness of counselling, graded-exercise and usual care for chronic fatigue: evidence from a randomised trial in primary care.BMC health services research · 2012Trial
- Effectiveness of Exercise-Based Rehabilitation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.International journal of exercise science · 2025Review
- Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Review
- The Cost-Effectiveness of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Programme in Severe Mental Illness: A Decision Analytical Model Using Routine Data.Community mental health journal · 2019Article
- Relationship between Changes in Fatigue and Exercise by Follow-Up Period.Korean journal of family medicine · 2016Article
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 at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTo evaluate the effectiveness of graded exercise therapy (GET), counselling (COUNS) and usual care plus a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) booklet (BUC) for people presenting with chronic fatigue in primary care.
methodA randomized controlled trial in general practice. The main outcome measure was the change in the Chalder fatigue score between baseline and 6 months. Secondary outcomes included a measure of global outcome, including anxiety and depression, functional impairment and satisfaction.
resultsThe reduction in mean Chalder fatigue score at 6 months was 8.1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.6-10.4] for BUC, 10.1 (95% CI 7.5-12.6) for GET and 8.6 (95% CI 6.5-10.8) for COUNS. There were no significant differences in change scores between the three groups at the 6- or 12-month assessment. Dissatisfaction with care was high. In relation to the BUC group, the odds of dissatisfaction at the 12-month assessment were less for the GET [odds ratio (OR) 0.11, 95% CI 0.02-0.54, p=0.01] and COUNS groups (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.03-0.53, p=0.004).
conclusionsOur evidence suggests that fatigue presented to general practitioners (GPs) tends to remit over 6 months to a greater extent than found previously. Compared to BUC, those treated with graded exercise or counselling therapies were not significantly better with respect to the primary fatigue outcome, although they were less dissatisfied at 1 year. This evidence is generalizable nationally and internationally. We suggest that GPs ask patients to return at 6 months if their fatigue does not remit, when therapy options can be discussed further.
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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.