Dr David Tuller: Professor Chalder Messes Up Again in New Paper on CFS and Employment Outcomes

[Countrygirl]

Two days after Professor Trudie Chalder makes impossible claims about ME patients in a new paper......Dr David Tuller demolishes her in a blog where he highlights her inability to comprehend her own statistics and her failed attempts to re-write history.

Trial By Error: Professor Chalder Messes Up Again in New Paper on CFS and Employment Outcomes
7 December 2021 by David Tuller 2 Comments
By David Tuller, DrPH

https://www.virology.ws/2021/12/07/trial-by-error-professor-chalder-messes-up-again-in-new-paper-on-cfs-and-employment-outcomes/?fbclid=IwAR0hfpa-CBZGQehIZkguHIjpIQ8eu2dsZdZbR3-OHzw6T6TQQXvPxnQgc8M
Same-Day Update: In re-reading the new paper, I noticed that the discussion section also features errors involving the percentages. It includes this sentence: “About 9% of individuals who were not working at baseline had returned to work at follow-up.” And this one: “Further, 6% of those working at baseline were no longer working at follow-up.” Both of these statements are categorically wrong. These are percentages of the total sample, not of the sub-groups of those working and not working at baseline.

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The discredited PACE trial of psychological and behavioral interventions for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) included four objective outcomes—a six-minute walking test, a step-test for fitness, employment/educational status, and whether the person was receiving social benefit. All four outcomes failed to match the positive reports on the subjective measures of fatigue and physical function. That’s why the authors completely ignored them in assessing the efficacy of the interventions and declared victory anyway.

Here is the paper David to which David refers: https://academic.oup.com/occmed/adv...093/occmed/kqab170/6453039?redirectedFrom=PDF
Chronic fatigue syndrome and occupational status: a retrospective longitudinal study
S A M Stevelink, K M Mark, N T Fear, M Hotopf, T Chalder
Occupational Medicine, kqab170, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqab170
Published:

05 December 2021

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Abstract

Background
Few studies into chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have emphasized work-related consequences, including return to work after illness.

Aims

This paper explores socio-demographic, work and clinical characteristics that are associated with occupational status among patients who were assessed at baseline and a follow-up point.

Methods

Longitudinal data were assessed from patients affected by CFS who attended an outpatient CFS treatment service between 2007 and 2014. Employment status at baseline and follow-up was available for 316 patients. Data were also included on gender, age, duration of CFS, fatigue severity, type and number of treatment sessions, coping strategies, functional impairment, common mental disorders and physical functioning.
Results

Most patients were female (73%) and had been affected by CFS for longer than 2 years (66%). Patients were followed up for an average of 285 days and over this period 53% of patients who were working remained in employment. Of the patients who were not working at baseline, 9% had returned to work at follow-up. However, of those working at baseline, 6% were unable to continue to work at follow-up. Age, fatigue severity, functional impairment, cognitive and behavioural responses, and depressive symptoms impacted on a patients’ work status at follow-up.

Conclusions

The findings indicated that it is possible for people with CFS to remain in work or return to work, despite having had a disabling illness. Work-related outcomes should be targeted in all people of working age.

 

[BrightCandle]

So half of people aren't working but clearly people with CFS can work and the recovery to work and and leaving work was about the same and this suggests CFS patients are actually fine to work really? All this says is that mild patients are mild and some can cope with work and some can't and basically half of all CFS patients are not capable of working.