Premium
An exploratory study of long‐term health outcomes following an in‐patient multidisciplinary program for people with fibromyalgia syndrome
Author(s) -
WHITE Douglas H. N.,
FAULL Kieren,
JONES Peter B. B.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of rheumatic diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1756-185X
pISSN - 1756-1841
DOI - 10.1111/j.1756-185x.2009.01380.x
Subject(s) - biopsychosocial model , fibromyalgia , medicine , rehabilitation , intervention (counseling) , physical therapy , telephone interview , gerontology , psychiatry , social science , sociology
Objective: To examine the health status of people with fibromyalgia syndrome approximately 10 years after an intensive rehabilitation intervention to identify biopsychosocial factors for further research. Methods: Baseline data, collected upon admission to the rehabilitation intervention was compared to follow‐up data collected by telephone interview. Data was evaluated for differences and relationships using the appropriate parametric or non‐parametric tests. Results: The 29 participants were interviewed an average of 9.4 years after their admissions. All participants reported the persistence of fibromyalgia and use of related medication. Differences between baseline and follow‐up were: increased paid employment ( P < 0.001), social networks ( P < 0.05) and decreased stress levels ( P < 0.05). Correlations with paid employment were: younger age ( r s = –0.66, P < 0.01); larger social networks ( r s = –0.40, P < 0.05) and transformation rehabilitation intervention experience ( r s = .46, P < 0.05). Follow‐up stress and sleep status were also related ( r s = 0.46, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Fibromyalgia symptoms and medication use persist over time. The wider issues concerning social integration and participation appear to be worthy of further investigation.