Health personnel perception about central sensitivity syndrome-fibromyalgia patients

Abstract

Background and objectives: Fibromyalgia is characterized by musculoskeletal pain and asthenia of chronic course. Fibromyalgia patients are often a challenge for the health care community as a whole. Existing studies are often limited to the opinion of rheumatologists or family physicians. With this study we seek to know what are the actions, perceptions and knowledge of health professionals as a whole when caring for patients with this disease.

Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study, by means of a self-administered and anonymous survey. Distributed mainly in hospital wards and primary care centers. Statistical analysis of the variables collected was performed (p < 0.05).

Results: 200 surveys were collected, most of them physicians 63.5% (n = 127) or nurses 25.5% (n = 51). 71% of physicians reported using the WHO analgesic scale. 53% (n = 59) use NSAIDs or Paracetamol. Antidepressants are the third drug of choice. Most believe that the referral specialists should be rheumatologists or primary care physicians, a similar percentage, that management should be multidisciplinary. 52% feel discouraged or annoyed when dealing with these patients. Physicians have more negative connotations and believe that the care that the patient receives is mostly influenced by the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, compared to nurses and other professionals.

Conclusions: Our study shows that the lack of knowledge and therapeutic tools generates, to a large extent, frustration and discomfort in health personnel. It is important to develop new approaches to this entity.

Keywords: Actitud; Attitude; Encuesta; Fibromialgia; Health personnel; Percepción; Perception; Personal sanitario; Survey.