Article Figures & Data
Tables
Identification Sex Age, Years Marital Status Deprivation Indexa Months Since CFS/ME Diagnosis CFS/ME = Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalitis. FINE = Fatigue Intervention by Nurses. Note: All patients referred to the FINE Trial and recruited to this qualitative study were white British. a Townsend P, Philmore P, Beattie A. Health Deprivation: Inequality and the North. London: Croom Helm; 1988. P1 Female 25 Single 13 12 P2 Female 32 Single 7 1 P3 Male 43 Married −5 39 P4 Female 55 Cohabiting 3 226 P5 Male 55 Single 5 140 P6 Female 52 Married 7 36 P7 Female 35 Married −4 1 P8 Female 51 Married −4 25 P9 Male 41 Single 7 18 P10 Male 37 Married 13 3 P11 Male 39 Married −4 57 P12 Male 63 Married 0 10 P13 Male 44 Separated −5 151 P14 Female 54 Divorced −4 42 P15 Male 42 Married −3 57 P16 Female 38 Single −2 4 P17 Female 56 Married −3 168 P18 Female 42 Married 1 59 P19 Female 59 Single 6 180 P20 Male 61 Married −3 144 P21 Male 37 Married 4 1 P22 Female 78 Married −3 240 P23 Female 60 Widowed 2 27 P24 Male 56 Married −4 120 Identification Sex Age, Years Ethnicity Practice List Size No. of Patients Referred to the FINE Triala FINE = Fatigue Intervention by Nurses; FP = family physician. a At time of interview. FP0 Male 53 White 2,300 0 FP1 Male 45 Black 4,000 0 FP2 Male 61 Black 2,200 0 FP3 Male 30 White 6,000 2 FP4 Male 63 Asian 6,000 0 FP5 Female 36 White 6,500 2 FP6 Female 56 White 5,000 5 FP7 Male 58 Asian 4,000 0 FP8 Female 54 White 2,300 1 FP9 Female 38 White 7,000 1 FP10 Female 26 White 7,000 0 FP11 Female 36 White 5,500 2 FP12 Female 59 White 7,300 3 FP13 Male 57 Asian 2,950 3
Additional Files
In Brief
Using Multiple Sources of Knowledge to Reach Clinical Understanding of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Carolyn A. Chew-Graham , and colleagues
Background Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition that is not well understood. In addition to other symptoms, people with CFS feel too tired to do all of their normal, daily activities. This study explores how patients with CFS, as well as family physicians, view and understand the condition, and how their understanding might affect the primary care visit.
What This Study Found Interviews with 24 patients and 14 family physicians in the United Kingdom find that family physicians feel unprepared by their medical training and education to diagnose and manage CFS. As a result, they seek information through other sources, such as the media, observations of patients outside the office, and personal experience. Patients are aware of doctors' limited understanding of CFS and sometimes feel their concerns are dismissed.
Implications
- Family physicians need evidence-based knowledge about CFS.
- Training and continuing medical education for CFS could make use of the rich base of knowledge that patients with CFS possess.
