Davenport, Todd E, Stevens, Staci R, Stevens, Jared et al. · Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2023 · DOI
This study created and tested a new questionnaire called the PAQ that helps measure how post-exertional malaise (PEM) affects a person's ability to do everyday activities. Patients chose three activities that were important to them and rated how much their performance had changed compared to their good days and before they got sick. The questionnaire was given to 675 people twice to make sure it reliably measured the same thing each time, and the results showed it works well.
This study provides ME/CFS patients and researchers with a validated, patient-centered tool to objectively measure how post-exertional malaise impacts daily life. Having a reliable questionnaire allows researchers to better study PEM in clinical trials and helps clinicians track patient progress, which is critical for understanding and managing this disabling symptom.
This study does not prove that the PAQ can measure treatment effectiveness or predict long-term outcomes in ME/CFS patients. It only demonstrates that the questionnaire is reliable and responds to changes; separate research would be needed to show whether it actually detects meaningful clinical improvements or is useful for specific patient populations.
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
Davenport, Todd E, Stevens, Staci R, Stevens, Jared, Snell, Christopher R, & Van Ness, J Mark (2023). Development and measurement properties of the PEM/PESE activity questionnaire (PAQ).. Work (Reading, Mass.). https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-220553
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-davenport-2023-development-measurement,
author = {Davenport, Todd E and Stevens, Staci R and Stevens, Jared and Snell, Christopher R and Van Ness, J Mark},
title = {Development and measurement properties of the PEM/PESE activity questionnaire (PAQ).},
journal = {Work (Reading, Mass.)},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.3233/WOR-220553},
note = {PubMed: 36938768},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/davenport-2023-development-measurement},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/davenport-2023-development-measurement
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