Abstract
Purpose: To compare the outcome of treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome measured by a validated outcome instrument to patients' perception of outcome based on simple questioning.
Subjects and Methods: Results of a single self-report question (“Are you much better, better, about the same, worse or much worse?”) at the end of approximately one year of treatment of 45 patients were compared to results of the Short Form 36 obtained at the beginning and end of that year.
Results: There was no correlation between the results of the single self-report question and the interval change in the Short Form 36 summary scales and 7 of 8 component scales.
Conclusions: Appropriate outcomes measurements can increase reliability of clinical practice results as well as treatment trials. Studies based only on answers to simple self-report questions may yield unreliable results.