Effectiveness of interdisciplinary health education programs for individuals with fibromyalgia: A systematic review

Abstract

Fibromyalgia has been increasing worldwide and is considered a public health problem. Nonpharmacological treatment through exercise and education is recommended for fibromyalgia management. In this sense, there is a need for interdisciplinary programs to promote health and improve symptoms in fibromyalgia. The purpose of this study was to verify the effectiveness of interdisciplinary health education programs for individuals with fibromyalgia. This is a systematic review that followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendations and was registered at Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD4201913228). A search was conducted in the following databases: Scientific Electronic Library Online, Lilacs, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Scopus, Web of Knowledge ISI, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Excerpta Medica Database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscus. The descriptors used were “Fibromyalgia” and “Health Education.” Clinical trials published between 1990 and 2019 were selected. The Jadad Quality Scale and the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Tool were used to evaluate the risk of bias and the methodological quality of the clinical trials. The search found 2887 articles, and only two studies were included in the analysis. Both studies conducted the interventions through lectures and group activities. In particular, the topics most frequently approached at the interdisciplinary health education programs were general information about fibromyalgia, body practices, physical activities, and pharmacological approaches. An interdisciplinary health education program can improve pain and quality of life in people with fibromyalgia; however, evidence shows low methodological quality. This systematic review indicates that studies are of low quality, interfering with the effectiveness of interdisciplinary health education programs.

Amigos de Fibro (Fibro Friends): validation of an e-book to promote health in fibromyalgia

“…Health education is one of the main items to enable the promotion of health in Primary Health Care in Brazil. It should prepare people to take control and responsibility for their own health and the health of their territory, as well as prepare them for empowerment, decisionmaking, participation, social control, and acting on the conditioning and determining agents of their health and quality of life (García-Ríos et al, 2019;Antunes et al, 2021b). The development of materials for health education is shown to be an efficient strategy for patients.…”

Amigos de Fibro (Fibro Friends): development of an educational program for the health promotion of fibromyalgia patients

“…Health education is one of the main items to enable the health promotion at primary health care (Carneiro et al, 2012), and must prepare each individual to take control and responsibility for their health (Nutbeam, 2018;Oliveira et al, 2019). Studies carried out worldwide are still data representations of disciplinary educational interventions, without interdisciplinarity as the focus of attention (Antunes et al, 2021;García-Ríos et al, 2019). In this sense, the study objective was to develop an educational interdisciplinary program aimed at the health promotion of individuals with fibromyalgia.…”

The role of physiotherapy in fibromyalgia: Current and future perspectives

“…The revised EULAR recommendations for fibromyalgia treatment indicate that the initial strategy should focus on patient education and nonpharmacological interventions ( Macfarlane et al, 2017 ). Education is key to global health promotion and must equip people to take control and responsibility for their own health and that of their environment, and prepare them for empowerment, decision-making, participation, social control and acting on the conditions and determinants of their health and quality of life ( Antunes et al, 2021a ).…”

“…The chronic nature of fibromyalgia means that individuals often view the syndrome and its consequences in a negative light. To address this problem, interventions and programs that are solely educational or associated with physical exercise have been developed to promote the health of people with this condition ( Antunes et al, 2021a ). These programs aim at optimizing care through patient guidance provided by several professionals from different areas of knowledge, with advice on how to control pain and deal with lifestyle-associated problems ( García-Ríos et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Although educational approaches are widely used in practice and the prevention of other health problems, the current supporting evidence on health education in fibromyalgia needs to be clearer. This evidence is essential for health professionals to better address health education with fibromyalgia patients ( Antunes et al, 2021a ).…”