Baker, R, Shaw, E J · BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2007 · DOI
This document summarizes official guidance from NICE (the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) on how to diagnose and manage ME/CFS. It provides recommendations for healthcare professionals on recognizing the condition, running appropriate tests, and treating patients with practical advice on activity management, rehabilitation, and when to refer patients to specialists.
This guideline is significant for ME/CFS patients because it represents an authoritative clinical framework for diagnosis and treatment in UK healthcare. For researchers, it identifies evidence gaps and areas of clinical consensus, helping to guide future research priorities and highlighting where diagnostic and management protocols need strengthening.
This guideline summary does not present new experimental evidence or prove the biological mechanisms of ME/CFS. It does not establish causation for any particular treatment approach, nor does it represent universal consensus across all countries or healthcare systems, as guidelines vary by region.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Baker, R & Shaw, E J (2007). Diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): summary of NICE guidance.. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39302.509005.AE
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-baker-2007-diagnosis-management,
author = {Baker, R and Shaw, E J},
title = {Diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): summary of NICE guidance.},
journal = {BMJ (Clinical research ed.)},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1136/bmj.39302.509005.AE},
note = {PubMed: 17762037},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/baker-2007-diagnosis-management},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/baker-2007-diagnosis-management
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