Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40123856›Full record

ArticleFatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior2025

Voice of the patient: people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) share in their own words.

Dana J Brimmer, Jin-Mann S Lin, Elizabeth R Unger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Dana J BrimmerChronic Viral Diseases Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia, USA.
Jin-Mann S LinChronic Viral Diseases Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia, USA.
Elizabeth R UngerChronic Viral Diseases Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia, USA.

Funding

Intramural CDC HHS CC999999
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a serious, debilitating illness affecting millions of people worldwide. Patients with ME/CFS often feel misunderstood and report facing barriers to healthcare utilization. Objective: We report on a Voice of the Patient (VOP) series that used tenets from photovoice and hermeneutic phenomenology methods. The approach prioritized respecting and engaging patients as they share individual experiences of living with ME/CFS. Methods: We developed a 5-step process that could be replicated for interviewing patients in their own words. The process prioritized respecting patients while developing, documenting, and sharing individual accounts of living with ME/CFS. The standardized process for gathering each VOP story enabled individuals to share and participate on their own terms. Results: Over four years, eight VOP stories were completed and posted on CDC's ME/CFS website. The stories received over 196,000 page views. Each story was completed in approximately six months. Participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share experiences and were appreciative of the process that involved them in the development of stories. Conclusions: Qualitative methods guided the process for participants taking a central role in sharing stories, which in turn may help educate about patient experiences with ME/CFS. Standardization of steps enabled consistency and transparency. Building flexibility into the process allowed interviewing a range of people with ME/CFS (i.e. bed bound to working) and enabled patients to give narratives in their voice. This process may help to share experiences of people with other chronic diseases or infection associated chronic conditions.

Indexed as

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)Qualitative methodsVoice of the Patient (VOP)

Identifiers

PMID40123856
PMCPMC11926923

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.