I'm trying to get an answer to the following two questions on the BPS treatment trial evidence base and wonder if anyone knows off the top of their head. I'm just looking for a very rough estimate and am not asking for anyone to do any research AHRQ did its evidence review based on studies in the literature as of early 2014. The criteria used to select studies was: Done in adults, using any ME or CFS definition, and which excluded other underlying diagnoses. Randomized trials of medications, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches, counseling and behavior therapy, and exercise therapies Included patient centered outcomes like function, quality of life, days spent at work or school, proportion working full- or part-time. Also included fatigue. Other symptom-based outcomes (e.g., pain, sleep, memory, PEM) and intermediate outcomes (e.g., biomarker values) were excluded. At least 12 weeks minimum duration My questions: 1. Ballpark, how many studies of CBT, exercise, or other BPS treatment approaches have been published since early 2014 that meet these criteria? 2. Ballpark, how many of these were done with the Oxford criteria. Looking for those since early 2014 because that was the cutoff for the AHRQ review. Thanks in advance for any information or pointers to sources that you can provide. If this is in the wrong place, please let me know
Digging back through my weekly News in Brief, I remembered these items from February. I assume they are still available and kept up to date. Sorry I don't have the energy to search through them. ME Association Index of Published ME/CFS Research. A 67 page pdf A-Z index of the most important research studies (and selected key documents and articles), listed by subject matter, updated monthly. MEA link here Index PDF link here Thread here ME Research UK: Research database. Summary data (including abstracts) of research publications on ME and CFS, extracted from MEDLINE and the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. MERUK article here Thread here
BPS treatment trial evidence base -(Historic) and for David T especially Tom K has given permission to repost this from 2002..........!!!! "Thanks Barbara. I don't actually remember writing that, but then I have written a lot on the Internet over the years." Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 17:59:50 +0100 From: Tom Kindlon <tomkindlon@oceanfree.net> Reply-To: IMEGA-e@yahoogroups.com To: imega-e@yahoogroups.com [My comments are not to be forwarded without permission] Dear all, The appended post has just been posted on Co-Cure so I'm forwarding it without any knowledge about whether it is true or not. I've added my comment below it: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Arie van Buuren" <a.vanbuuren@CHELLO.NL> To: <CO-CURE@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU> Sent: 03 September 2002 16:44 Subject: [CO-CURE] NOTICE: 2.6 million MRC funding for Psychiatry? (UK) > [Posted on behalf of Stephen Ralph stephen.e.ralph@BTINTERNET.COM ] > > > Dear All, > > This information has just been passed to me and I can assure you that my > source is both reliable and trusted. > > I have just been informed that the Medical Research Council is in the > process of giving £2.6 million to a 4 year research project. Funding will be > given over the next 2 years. > > The project has three arms to it... > > Arm One: > > Research into the combined use of CBT and Graded Exercise as effective forms > of treatment for people with ME/CFS; > > Arm Two: > > Research into the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy on its own as an > effective treatment for people with ME/CFS; > > Arm Three: > > Research into the use of "Pacing" as an effective form of treatment for > people with ME/CFS > > The £2.6 million is to be split between several centres. > > Psychiatrist Professor Simon Wessely is to receive funding at his CFS Unit > at Kings > > Psychiatrist Michael Sharpe and Dr Carson are to receive funding at their > unit in Edinburgh > > Psychiatrist Dr White and Professor A J Pinching are to receive funding at > Barts Hospital in London > > I understand that funding is also going to the Cardiff Group. > > Dr Findley's assistant Diane Cox has been approached to train up > Psychotherapists and indeed Psychotherapists are being recruited. > > This £2.6 million has passed its "first review" within the Medical > Research Council. > > This may of course explain why Action for M E with Professor Pinching as > Medical Director are pursuing these very same forms of treatment with such > vigour. > > I will pass on any more news as and when I get it. > > It would seem to me that... > > "think yourself better", > > "exercise yourself better" and > > "do as much as you can if first 2 fail" > > ... are indeed mantras that we will *all* have to look forward as "best > practice" forms of medicine for our foreseeable future. > > This is 21st Century Healthcare > --------------------------------------------- > Co-Cure Web site: http://www.co-cure.org/ > Send posts to mailto:CO-CURE@listserv.nodak.edu > Join or leave the list at http://www.co-cure.org/sub.htm > Co-Cure is not a discussion list. Please do not reply to the list. > --------------------------------------------- My Comment: ASSUMING (I) it is true and (II) one doesn't feel that this is satisfactory (i.e. no research is mentioned into "physical"/non-management areas), I feel that one option open to us is to call for an investigation into whether there was anything improper in how these research groups got these "contracts"/grants; in particular, the investigation could start by asking how come a panel that was supposed to be "independent" and "fresh" (in the field of CFS/ME), contained: (i) Alan McGregor who had co-authored papers on CFS with Simon Wessely, who, IF one assumes this information is correct, has allegedly been given one of the "contracts"/grants and (ii) Philip Cowen had co-authored at least one paper on CFS with Michael Sharpe who, IF one assumes this information is correct, has allegedly also been given one of the "contracts"/grants. It may well be that there is nothing improper in all of this. However I think an investigation e.g. by MPs, who were told that the panel that the panel was fresh and independent, would be a good way to start to find out for certain. I have been away from the internet for much of the summer and haven't had a chance yet to read the imega-e posts on the subject so perhaps I'm missing something?? Tom (who wishes to state that he is in now way insinuating that their might have been any impropriety in awarding these grants, but would like to know for certain and also wishes to say that he respects Prof. Pinching and Diane Cox) AND....... Dear Tom, Two points. First, although I do not know Til Wykes, I certainly know of and have in a past life met Professor McGregor who is a professor of medicine at Kings, with an endocrine interest. Whether or not he has ever worked with Professor Wesseley is entirely irrelevant. To suggest he is anyones camp is miles off the mark. He is very strong intellectually and is fiercely independent. Second, this paranoia about the scientists on the panel risks damaging our cause both in the short and the long term. In the short term it makes us look unprofessional or worse when dealing with the MRC, who know that suggestions of bias are ludicrous. In the long term, attacks and e-mail gossip about serious scientists who are at last taking an interest in the field through our success in the CMO Report will only act as a deterrent to others. We not only need a strategy for research, we need funding. But even if we achieved all the funding possible, it will be wasted unless we can get guys of the stature of Alan McGregor to want to carry out the research. Instead we should be thankful that at last someone is taking a damn interest after the years of neglect, and putting forward the needs of people with M.E., particularly those excluded from research such as the severely affected. Chris Clark Chief Executive Action for M.E.