Patient Perspectives on Self-Management Technologies for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Abstract

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating medical con­dition that is characterized by a range of physical, cognitive and social impairments. This paper investigates CFS patients’ perspectives on the potential for technological support for self-management of their symptoms. We report findings from three studies in which people living with CFS 1) prioritized symptoms that they would like technologies to address, 2) ar­ticulated their current approaches to self-management along­ side challenges they face, and 3) reflected on their experiences with three commercial smartphone apps related to symptom management. We contribute an understanding of the specific needs of the ME/CFS population and the ways in which they currently engage in self-management using technology. The paper ends by describing five high-level design recommen­dations for ME/CFS self-management technologies