Ross, E · Nursing times · 1996
This article reviews the history of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and how it has been treated over time. ME/CFS is a real illness that affects 1 to 2.5 out of every 100 people. The article explains what doctors look for when diagnosing ME/CFS and describes the important role nurses play in helping patients manage and treat their condition.
This article is valuable because it documents how ME/CFS has been understood and treated from a nursing perspective, highlighting the practical role of healthcare providers in patient care. Understanding the history of diagnostic approaches and treatment strategies helps contextualize current clinical practice and may inform improved patient management.
This review does not provide evidence for the effectiveness of any specific treatment, nor does it establish causes or mechanisms of ME/CFS. As a narrative review without controlled comparisons, it cannot prove that particular nursing interventions improve patient outcomes compared to other approaches.
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
Ross, E (1996). The history and treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome.. Nursing times. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8945330/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ross-1996-history-treatment,
author = {Ross, E},
title = {The history and treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Nursing times},
year = {1996},
note = {PubMed: 8945330},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ross-1996-history-treatment},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ross-1996-history-treatment
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