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You Can't Tell The Players Without A Scorecard

Forbin

Senior Member
Messages
966
Being a U.S. citizen, I am sometimes confused by the many similar acronyms used in Britain (FINE, PACE, SMILE, etc..). I thought I would post their derivations for those who have wondered (like me) where these come from.

NICE
N
ational
Institute for Health and
Care
Excellence
https://www.nice.org.uk/

FINE
F
atigue
Intervention by
Nurses
Evaluation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20418251

PACE*
P
acing, graded
Activity, and
Cognitive behaviour therapy: a randomised
Evaluation
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)60096-2/abstract

Follow-up

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(15)00317-X/abstract
*[In addition to its relation to "pacing," "pace" is also a form of the Latin "pax" meaning "peace."]

SMILE
S
pecialist
Medical
Intervention &
Lightning [Process]
Evaluation
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3879423/
(ongoing trial?)
 
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Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
@Forbin Thanks for posting this and as another American, I was embarrassed to admit that I did not know what any of these abbreviations stood for (and I still have no idea who all the people are that are being discussed in the different threads!) I attempt to read them but get immediately lost and often don't know the good guys names from the bad guys names so I do not comment. I know there are extremely important things going on but I can't sort them out and need a translation card LOL. Am a bit relieved that I am not the only one!
 

ahimsa

ahimsa_pdx on twitter
Messages
1,921
Does anyone know what PANTS stands for in the context of the discussion around PACE, etc.?

I have seen it used a couple times. I think it may be a joke acronym making fun of all these problems but have not figured it out yet.

@Gingergrrl, it's so easy to get confused by all this stuff. I only figured out the PACE acronym a couple years ago when Graham started doing his wonderful videos. They are short and make it easy to understand some of the the basic problems with PACE.

You can find these videos on the MEAnalysis channel on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/MEAnalysis

And here are links to articles discussing the videos here on the forums:

http://phoenixrising.me/archives/25038
http://phoenixrising.me/archives/26299
 
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worldbackwards

Senior Member
Messages
2,051
I think it's safe to say if we call something PANTS, it just means pants (although mocking the PACE acronym at the same time). Even our psychiatrists aren't so silly as to call their work pants.:)

Watch someone pop up now and tell me this actually means something.
 
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ahimsa

ahimsa_pdx on twitter
Messages
1,921
CFSAC - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Action Committee

The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC) provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Assistant Secretary for Health on issues related to myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

see http://www.hhs.gov/advcomcfs/
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Maybe it's just me but whoever came up with these acronyms has to be such a huge fan of Orwellian doublethink. They're just so perfectly contradictory.
And they had to stretch absurdly hard to make those Orwellian not-really-acronyms, PACE being the best:
PACE*
P
acing, graded
Activity, and
Cognitive behaviour therapy: a randomised
Evaluation
Shouldn't that be PGACBTE? Or PGCE? They just picked out whatever letters they felt like using. I bet I could use all those letters to come up with a better name if my brain was clearer than it is tonight.
 

Forbin

Senior Member
Messages
966
Whilst you're about it, it would be nice to know what US residents are on about when referring to CFSAC, P2P, etc. I'm used to the UK bullshit, gimme the rest!
I can't disagree. Not long ago, I embarrassed myself in a post by confusing the ME/CFS SEP at the NIH with the CFSAC.

As mentioned above, I think it's the Orwellian pleasantness of the trial acronyms that is both creepy and also makes them hard to keep straight in one's mind.


The one I find most concerning, however, is SMILE.

In the context of evaluating children, the name of the trial seems inherently prejudicial.

What child is going to want to self report failing something called the SMILE trial?

Why not just call it the WINNER trial?
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
What child is going to want to self report failing something called the SMILE trial?

And if they do will they get a frownie sticker?

This reminds me of how some medications are named to suggest positive qualities such as Provigil or products that are also named as a selling tool. At the moment none come to mind, but I'm sure they're out there and will add them as/if I remember.:D

Barb