Devendorf, Andrew R, Jackson, Carly T, Sunnquist, Madison et al. · Disability and rehabilitation · 2019 · DOI
This study asked ME/CFS doctors what they think it means to truly recover from these illnesses. The researchers found that doctors see recovery as getting back to how a person functioned before they got sick, with all symptoms gone. They also identified a separate category called 'significant improvement,' where patients feel much better and can do more, but still experience some symptoms or need treatment.
Without consensus on what 'recovery' means, researchers and clinicians cannot accurately assess whether treatments work, and patients may have unrealistic expectations about outcomes. This framework helps clarify measurement standards and improves communication between doctors and patients about realistic treatment goals and progress.
This study does not identify which treatments actually produce recovery or significant improvement—it only defines what these terms mean. It reflects physician perspectives only and does not validate whether patients themselves would accept these definitions. The study provides no evidence about how often true recovery occurs or what factors predict recovery.
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
Devendorf, Andrew R, Jackson, Carly T, Sunnquist, Madison, & A Jason, Leonard (2019). Defining and measuring recovery from myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome: the physician perspective.. Disability and rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1383518
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-devendorf-2019-defining-measuring,
author = {Devendorf, Andrew R and Jackson, Carly T and Sunnquist, Madison and A Jason, Leonard},
title = {Defining and measuring recovery from myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome: the physician perspective.},
journal = {Disability and rehabilitation},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1080/09638288.2017.1383518},
note = {PubMed: 28982247},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/devendorf-2019-defining-measuring},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/devendorf-2019-defining-measuring
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