Wortman, Margreet S H, Lokkerbol, Joran, van der Wouden, Johannes C et al. · PloS one · 2018 · DOI
This study looked at 39 research projects to find out which treatments for long-lasting unexplained symptoms—including chronic fatigue syndrome—work best and offer good value for money. The researchers found that group-based treatments (where patients meet together) tend to be more cost-effective than one-on-one treatments. However, the studies they reviewed were quite different from each other, making it hard to compare results directly.
This systematic review synthesizes economic evidence on symptom management interventions relevant to ME/CFS, showing that group-based treatments may offer better value to healthcare systems and patients. Understanding which interventions are cost-effective is critical for patients and healthcare providers making treatment decisions with limited resources.
This study does not prove that group interventions are universally superior—the finding of greater cost-effectiveness is preliminary given study heterogeneity and may not apply to all patient subgroups or healthcare systems. The review does not establish efficacy or safety of any specific intervention, only economic efficiency relative to comparators. Results depend heavily on how each study measured costs and quality of life, which varied considerably.
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
Wortman, Margreet S H, Lokkerbol, Joran, van der Wouden, Johannes C, Visser, Bart, van der Horst, Henriëtte E, & Olde Hartman, Tim C (2018). Cost-effectiveness of interventions for medically unexplained symptoms: A systematic review.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205278
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wortman-2018-cost-effectiveness,
author = {Wortman, Margreet S H and Lokkerbol, Joran and van der Wouden, Johannes C and Visser, Bart and van der Horst, Henriëtte E and Olde Hartman, Tim C},
title = {Cost-effectiveness of interventions for medically unexplained symptoms: A systematic review.},
journal = {PloS one},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0205278},
note = {PubMed: 30321193},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wortman-2018-cost-effectiveness},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wortman-2018-cost-effectiveness
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