Canadian Pain Society and Canadian Rheumatology Association Recommendations for Rational Care of Persons with Fibromyalgia. A Summary Report

Abstract

These guidelines should provide the health community with reassurance for the global care of patients with FM with the aim of improving patient outcome by reducing symptoms and maintaining function.

A paradigm change to inform fibromyalgia research priorities by engaging patients and health care professionals

“…Becaus the survey was posted on the websites of various partner organizations and individuals were not specifically targeted, except for the voting members of the 2012 Canadian Fibromyalgia Guidelines, 16 a response rate to the survey cannot be calculated. The demographic information for participants is shown in Table 2.…”

“…These questions speak to the need for active patient participation in health practices as has been strongly recommended by recent guidelines for the management of FM. [16][17][18][19] Whether persons with FM should ideally be managed by primary care physicians, specialists, or multidisciplinary teams is not known. This uncertainty was reflected by allocation as priority 5 in this exercise.…”

“…Following a Canadian workshop hosted by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (CIHR-IMHA) addressing chronic pain and fatigue, a 12-person steering committee (SC) was created. The steering committee was led by the first author of the Canadian 2012 Fibromyalgia Guidelines, 16 and members were recruited after consultation with health care professionals and patient groups across Canada, who had either been involved in the guideline development or were members of organizations known to have an interest in FM. The steering committee was composed of five patients with FM (one patient was a practicing pharmacist), five health care professionals experienced in treating persons with FM (one family physician, two rheumatologists, one psychologist, one internist), an internist with previous experience of the JLA process but without specific interest in FM, and the scientific director of IMHA, who is a rheumatologist, and was convened by CIHR-IMHA.…”

“…A total of 109 groups/organizations/bodies were contacted as well as the original 139 voting participants in the Canadian 2012 Fibromyalgia Guidelines. 16 In total, 17 organizations participated (five professional associations, five pain centers, and seven patient groups). The survey, in English and French, included 16 questions, eight demographic and eight open-ended questions requesting a narrative response.…”

Another Nasty Effect of Opioids: Attenuating the Benefits of Motivational Interviewing in Fibromyalgia?

“…FM is a condition without cure at this time and with symptoms expected to be lifelong for most. Current guidelines recommend regular physical activity as a critical and necessary treatment strategy for FM; both short-term and longterm benefits of exercise have been demonstrated, emphasizing the need to promote adherence to these recommendations 3,4,5,6 . Nevertheless, continued practice of exercise by FM patients remains poor 7 .…”