McDermott, Clare, Al Haddabi, Atheer, Akagi, Hiroko et al. · BMJ open · 2014 · DOI
This study looked at how NHS specialist centres in England were caring for people with severe ME/CFS who are too ill to leave their homes or beds. Researchers asked all 49 NHS specialist ME/CFS services about their treatment for severely affected patients. The results showed significant gaps: one-third of services didn't treat housebound patients at all, while just over half followed recommended treatment guidelines. Only one hospital in England offered inpatient specialist care for ME/CFS.
Severely affected ME/CFS patients face unique barriers accessing care due to physical limitations, yet require specialist monitoring and support. This study documents a critical service provision gap that directly impacts patient safety and access to recommended medical care, highlighting the need for improved healthcare infrastructure for this vulnerable population.
This study does not establish whether NICE-compliant care actually improves patient outcomes, nor does it explain why such variation exists or identify barriers to service development. The 2013 data does not reflect current provision, and the survey design cannot determine the prevalence of severe ME/CFS or unmet treatment needs in the broader patient population.
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
McDermott, Clare, Al Haddabi, Atheer, Akagi, Hiroko, Selby, Michelle, Cox, Diane, & Lewith, George (2014). What is the current NHS service provision for patients severely affected by chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? A national scoping exercise.. BMJ open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005083
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-mcdermott-2014-what-current,
author = {McDermott, Clare and Al Haddabi, Atheer and Akagi, Hiroko and Selby, Michelle and Cox, Diane and Lewith, George},
title = {What is the current NHS service provision for patients severely affected by chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? A national scoping exercise.},
journal = {BMJ open},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005083},
note = {PubMed: 24984956},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mcdermott-2014-what-current},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/mcdermott-2014-what-current
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.