Comparing fibromyalgia patients from primary care and rheumatology settings: clinical and psychosocial features.
The aim of this study was to compare clinical symptoms, perceived health status, health resource use and psychosocial features in fibromyalgia (FM) patients at different health care levels. A total of 315 participants were recruited from primary care (PC) (n=101) and rheumatology settings (RS) (n=214). Subjects completed a protocol of clinical features and health resource use, hospital anxiety and depression scale, sickness impact profile, chronic pain self-efficacy scale, multidimensional pain locus of control scale, perceived health competence scale and chronic pain coping inventory. Student's t test, effect size, and contrast and power test were performed to examine differences between samples. FM patients treated in PC and RS were similar in most variables assessed and only differed significantly in tender points, sleep disturbance, wellness-focused coping strategies and in self-efficacy beliefs. The similarities do not support patient selection through care levels and thus, in the Spanish health care system at least, endorse PC as a reference unit for treatment and questioning the benefits of referring patients to RS.
Boyer
Ana Lledó
AL
Departamento de Psicología de la Salud, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Campus de San Juan, Crta. N-332, 03550, San Juan de Alicante, Spain. ana.lledo@umh.es
Mira Pastor
Maria Angeles
MA
Calatayud
Nieves Pons
NP
Lopez-Roig
Sofía
S
Cantero Terol
Maria Carmen
MC
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012219:Rheumatology; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile