Time for rethinking physiotherapy for patients with fibromyalgia

Objective: There is uncertainty about diagnostics and treatment of patients with fibromyalgia (FM). This study maps which medical specialists and health professional groups are involved in diagnostics and treatment, and to what extent patients find treatments beneficial. Methods: Patients were included consecutively when referred to a patient education programme at a rheumatism hospital in Norway. The patients filled in a structured questionnaire about their previous use of health services and treatment benefits. The Fibromyalgia Survey Questionnaire assessed the severity of FM. Results: The study included 130 patients (84% women), 44% were fully/partially employed, and 95% had severe or very severe FM. The patients had been examined for diagnosis by medical specialists in mean (standard deviation) 2 (2) various fields and had been treated by 4 (2) different health professional groups. Most patients had been to physicians (98%) and physiotherapists (87%) in primary health care, but they reported little or short-term benefits. Conclusion: The patients were high consumers of health services, however, they found them to be of minor significance. Since the primary health service is responsible for treating patients with FM in the future, rethinking physiotherapy and collaborative routines with physicians in the primary health care is needed