Effects of a Rehabilitation Programme Focused on Energy Management in People With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

January 26, 2026 updated by: Escola Superior de Saúde Norte da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa
The study focuses on rehabilitation nursing care for adults diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a home setting. The objective is to evaluate the effects of an individualised rehabilitation programme, which aims to empower participants to manage their energy effectively, observing the impacts on functionality and fatigue.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

During the study, we collected sociodemographic data, information about the clinical evolution, patient perception of the disease. Instruments were applied to assess quality of life, functionality, and fatigue levels. This will allow to understand how to improve rehabilitation nursing care.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

13

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Portugal
    • Aveiro District
      • Oliveira de Azeméis, Aveiro District, Portugal, 3720-126
        • Escola Superior de Saúde Norte da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa, Portugal.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Portuguese-speaking individuals with age of 18 years or older;
  • Individuals with official residence in Portugal;
  • An official diagnosis of ME/CFS based on the NICE guidelines;
  • A Chalder's Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ) score higher than 18 points.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals without official residence in Portugal;
  • Patients without a diagnosis of ME/CFS;
  • Patients with a diagnosis of ME/CFS whose case definitions used was not known;
  • Patients without a diagnosis of ME/CFS who had previously participated in any kind of rehabilitation programme, including pacing therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or graded-exercise therapy.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention arm
Behavioral: Intervention Group
An educational program focused on energy management and developed by the United Kingdom's NICE. The overall aim of the intervention was the empowerment of patients with self-management strategies that could help them to maximize their autonomy, independence and daily activities without exceeding their perceived energy reservoir.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Functional Assessment
Time Frame: Assessment at two time points: M0 - before the start of the intervention; M1 - 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.
Short Form Health Survey: SF 36 v2 (physical dimension)
Assessment at two time points: M0 - before the start of the intervention; M1 - 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.
Quality of Life Measure
Time Frame: Assessment at two time points: M0 - before the start of the intervention; M1 - 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.
Quality-of-life measure: EuroQoL 5D-5L
Assessment at two time points: M0 - before the start of the intervention; M1 - 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.
Fatigue Assessment
Time Frame: Assessment at two time points: M0 - before the start of the intervention; M1 - 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.
Application of the Chalder Fatigue Scale
Assessment at two time points: M0 - before the start of the intervention; M1 - 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Escola Superior de Saúde Norte da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 9, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 23, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

March 9, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 26, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024.063

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

Clinical Trials on Intervention Group

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Senegal

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe