Effectiveness of a Fibromyalgia Online Nursing Consultation in the Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of an online nursing consultation through the Internet platform Red Sinapsis (RS) in improving the perceived quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Method: Eighty patients with FM were randomized to an intervention group (n = 40) or control group (n = 40). The intervention group (IG) was monitored by a nursing specialist through the online platform RS while the control group (CG) received standard follow-up at the clinic. The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were used at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up. Results: The IG showed a 65% improvement in the perception of their general state of health at 12 months into the study, compared with an improvement of 5.6% in the CG ( p < .001). The IG also achieved better results for emotional status, with a maintained improvement throughout the study of more than 2 points in the anxiety variable (from 7.64 to 5.36), that remained constant in the CG. The depression variable also showed constant improvement over the 12 months of the study in the IG, rising from an average of 7.72 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.05) to 5.33 (SD = 1.65), while in the CG a slight deterioration was observed. In both cases, the difference in mood evolution was significant ( p < .001). Conclusions: Online nursing follow-up for people with fibromyalgia improves patients' perceived quality of life related to their welfare and emotional state.Fibromyalgia (FM) is among the diseases causing the highest rate of occupational disability in Spain. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex condition that causes pain, fatigue, non-refreshed sleep, mood disturbance and cognitive impairment.

The Efficacy and Safety of Telerehabilitation for Fibromyalgia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…Table 2 summarizes the detailed protocols of telerehabilitation among the included studies. Regarding the medium of telerehabilitation, 8 studies used internet-based telerehabilitation [ 20 , 28 , 29 , 31 - 33 , 35 , 36 ], 5 used telephone- or mobile app–based telerehabilitation [ 18 , 21 , 27 , 30 , 34 ], and 1 used a wearable device to monitor and record real-time pain [ 19 ]. In terms of telerehabilitation programs, 6 studies used psychological interventions–based telerehabilitation [ 20 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 33 ], 2 used fibromyalgia self-management–based telerehabilitation [ 21 , 28 ], 3 used video-based guided exercise training telerehabilitation [ 18 , 35 , 36 ], 1 used a web-based pain course–based telerehabilitation [ 31 ], 1 provided real-time pain monitoring by a monitoring system [ 19 ], and 1 study provided web-based teleconsultation [ 34 ].…”

“…Six studies with 764 participants assessed QoL. The QoL was assessed using the Short Form Health Survey in 5 studies [ 28 , 31 , 34 - 36 ] and the EQ-5D in 1 study [ 19 ]. In these studies, we found no significant heterogeneity in the QoL ( I 2 =0%; P =.56).…”

“…In total, 1382 records were identified from the 7 databases. After removing duplicates, screening the titles and abstracts, and reviewing the full-text, 1368 articles were excluded and 14 studies were considered eligible for this systematic review and meta-analysis [18][19][20][21][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] (Figure 1).…”

“…The duration of the symptoms ranged from 6.21 to 20 years. The control intervention of the included studies involved a waiting list [30][31][32], usual care or treatment [18,19,27,28,33,35,36], pharmacologic therapy [29], daily activity [20], standard follow-up [34], and paper-based instruction [21]. The 14 RCTs reported different outcomes: 12 studies measured the FIQ scale [18][19][20][21][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36], 8 assessed pain intensity [18,19,21,27,28,31,32,36], 11 assessed depression [18][19][20]27,28,[30][31][32][33]35,36], 3 assessed pain catastrophizing [18,20,33], and 6 assessed QoL…”

“…Twelve studies with 1076 participants [18][19][20][21][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] reported FIQ scale data. Owing to the existence of medium heterogeneity (I 2 =59.9%; P=.004), a random effects model was used.…”