ReviewQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2014
Defining recovery in chronic fatigue syndrome: a critical review.
Review in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
34 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review-heterogeneity of definition limits study comparison.Archives of disease in childhood · 2021Pooled it
- Making recovery conceivable: perspectives from healthcare professionals using psychologically and behaviourally informed approaches to chronic fatigue syndrome.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026Article
- Chronic fatigue syndrome in nursing practice: a concept analysis.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnostic reporting in the 2021-2023 National Health Interview Survey.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome: a reflexive thematic analysis of experiences of people before, during and after treatment.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- Depressive and anxiety symptoms in current, previous, and no history of ME/CFS: NHIS 2022 analysis.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Immunological Patient Stratification in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: the biology of a neglected disease.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- The fragile process of Homecoming - Young women in recovery from severe ME/CFS.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2023Article
- Uplifts and hassles are related to worsening in chronic fatigue syndrome: a prospective study.Journal of translational medicine · 2023Article
- Health system support among patients with ME/CFS in Switzerland.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2023Article
- Uplifts and hassles are related to worsening in chronic fatigue syndrome A prospective study.Research square · 2023Article
- Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): A preliminary survey among patients in Switzerland.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in Adolescents: Practical Guidance and Management Challenges.Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics · 2023Review
- Factors Influencing the Prognosis of Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- How is recovery defined and measured in patients with low back pain? Protocol for a mixed study systematic review.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Estimating total morbidity burden of COVID-19: relative importance of death and disability.Journal of clinical epidemiology · 2022Article
- A randomized controlled trial protocol for persistent physical symptoms associated with indoor environment or chronic fatigue: Effectiveness of video-based functional case conceptualization and web-program for improving quality of life.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Patients' hopes for recovery from myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome: Toward a "recovery in" framework.Chronic illness · 2020Article
- Approaching recovery from myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome: Challenges to consider in research and practice.Journal of health psychology · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeIn chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), the lack of consensus on how recovery should be defined or interpreted has generated controversy and confusion. The purpose of this paper was to systematically review, compare, and evaluate the definitions of recovery reported in the CFS literature and to make recommendations about the scope of recovery assessments.
methodsA search was done using the MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases for peer review papers that contained the search terms "chronic fatigue syndrome" and "recovery," "reversal," "remission," and/or "treatment response."
resultsFrom the 22 extracted studies, recovery was operationally defined by reference with one or more of these domains: (1) pre-morbid functioning; (2) both fatigue and function; (3) fatigue (or related symptoms) alone; (4) function alone; and/or (5) brief global assessment. Almost all of the studies measuring recovery in CFS did so differently. The brief global assessment was the most common outcome measure used to define recovery. Estimates of recovery ranged from 0 to 66 % in intervention studies and 2.6 to 62 % in naturalistic studies.
conclusionsGiven that the term "recovery" was often based on limited assessments and less than full restoration of health, other more precise and accurate labels (e.g., clinically significant improvement) may be more appropriate and informative. In keeping with common understandings of the term recovery, we recommend a consistent definition that captures a broad-based return to health with assessments of both fatigue and function as well as the patient's perceptions of his/her recovery status.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.