American journal of epidemiology · 2017 · DOI
This study describes how researchers set up a large project to better understand and diagnose ME/CFS across multiple medical centers. The researchers created a system to carefully collect information about ME/CFS patients over time, combining both new patient data and information from medical records. This kind of organized approach helps scientists learn more about the condition and how to recognize it accurately.
Standardized, multi-site clinical assessments are essential for establishing consistent diagnostic criteria and understanding disease heterogeneity in ME/CFS. This framework enables more rigorous research that could improve how clinicians identify and characterize ME/CFS, ultimately leading to better patient care and appropriate treatment strategies.
As a methods paper, this study does not prove the effectiveness of any treatment, establish diagnostic biomarkers, or provide evidence about ME/CFS causes. It does not demonstrate clinical outcomes or validate specific assessment tools—it only describes how the research will be conducted.
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
Unknown authors (2017). RE: "MULTI-SITE CLINICAL ASSESSMENT OF MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (MCAM): DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROSPECTIVE/RETROSPECTIVE ROLLING COHORT STUDY".. American journal of epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwx119
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-unknown-2017-multi-site,
author = {Unknown, Author},
title = {RE: "MULTI-SITE CLINICAL ASSESSMENT OF MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (MCAM): DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROSPECTIVE/RETROSPECTIVE ROLLING COHORT STUDY".},
journal = {American journal of epidemiology},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1093/aje/kwx119},
note = {PubMed: 28535163},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/unknown-2017-multi-site},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/unknown-2017-multi-site
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.