Date sent:      	Tue, 21 May 2002 

PRELIMINARY STUDIES

Residential Rehabilitation Courses in the Self-Directed Management of
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Preliminary Evaluation

J of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Vol. 10(2) 2002, pp. 59-65

Simon Harrison, MA, PhD; Andy Smith, BSc, PhD, FBPsP, CPsychol;
Richard Sykes, MA, PhD, CQSW

Simon Harrison and Richard Sykes are affiliated with Westcare UK.
Andy Smith is Professor, School of Psychology, Cardiff University.

Address correspondence to: Simon Harrison, Westcare UK, 155 Whiteladies
Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RF, UK (E-mail: info@westcareuk.org.uk).


ABSTRACT.
Residential rehabilitation courses in self-directed illness management
offer a potentially useful patient-centered and multidisciplinary
therapeutic option for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A retrospective survey of
the data from the courses run by Westcare UK between 1995 and 1998 was
undertaken to give a preliminary evaluation of outcomes and acceptability.
The outcome results, for 49 participants, show improvements, at 12 months,
on the Fatigue and Emotional Distress subscales of the PFRS. (Fatigue:
before course: mean 3.66, s.d. 1.14; 12 months later: mean 3.11, s.d. 1.57;
F(I,48) = 11.19 p <0.005. Emotional distress: before course: mean 2.53,
s.d. 1.46; 12 months later: mean 2.04, s.d. 1.39; F(I,48) = 5.96 p < 0.01.)
Participants also reported a high level of general satisfaction with the
course: 89.4% gave a rating of five or six, out of six. These results
describe both long- and short-term benefits, and support the continued use
of these courses and the implementation of a further more rigorous study.


KEYWORDS. Fatigue syndrome, chronic, self-care (rehabilitation), patient
education, counseling


INTRODUCTION

Residential rehabilitation courses in self-directed illness management
offer a potentially useful option for therapeutic intervention in Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome. They aim to help sufferers to learn the principles of,
and to practice techniques of, managing their illness. They offer a
significantly patient-centered and multidisciplinary approach. Westcare UK,
a British charity that specializes in providing services in the field of
CFS, has been developing this form of intervention since 1995.


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