Six-and 12-month follow-up of an interdisciplinary fibromyalgia treatment programme: results of a randomised trial

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of a 6-week interdisciplinary treatment that combines coordinated psychological, medical, educational, and physiotherapeutic components (PSYMEPHY) over time compared to standard pharmacologic care.

Methods: Randomised controlled trial with follow-up at 6 months for the PSYMEPHY and control groups and 12 months for the PSYMEPHY group. Participants were 153 outpatients with FM recruited from a hospital pain management unit. Patients randomly allocated to the control group (CG) received standard pharmacologic therapy. The experimental group (EG) received an interdisciplinary treatment (12 sessions). The main outcome was changes in quality of life, and secondary outcomes were pain, physical function, anxiety, depression, use of pain coping strategies, and satisfaction with treatment as measured by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Coping with Chronic Pain Questionnaire, and a question regarding satisfaction with the treatment.

Results: Six months after the intervention, significant improvements in quality of life (p=0.04), physical function (p=0.01), and pain (p=0.03) were seen in the PSYMEPHY group (n=54) compared with controls (n=56). Patients receiving the intervention reported greater satisfaction with treatment. Twelve months after the intervention, patients in the PSYMEPHY group (n=58) maintained statistically significant improvements in quality of life, physical functioning, pain, and symptoms of anxiety and depression, and were less likely to use maladaptive passive coping strategies compared to baseline.

Conclusions: An interdisciplinary treatment for FM was associated with improvements in quality of life, pain, physical function, anxiety and depression, and pain coping strategies up to 12 months after the intervention.