Description of a half-day interprofessional fibromyalgia clinic with an evaluation of patient satisfaction.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction of a half-day interprofessional fibromyalgia clinic. A convenience sample of 167 consecutively enrolled patients were evaluated retrospectively for clinical and laboratory findings. After 2 yrs, a patient satisfaction survey and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire were mailed for follow-up analyses. Sixty-five patients returned the mailed questionnaire (54.2 % response rate). More than 90% of the patients rated their clinic experience and provider visits as very positive or positive. Notably, those patients who reported that their primary care provider regarded fibromyalgia as a valid diagnosis were willing to implement the consultant's recommendations, and those who were prescribed medications were more likely to experience an improvement in symptoms and function. Sleep, fatigue, pain, and work interference were the variables most likely to improve, whereas mood was largely unchanged. Finally, the patients with insulin-like growth factor-1 levels that were within the reference range based on age had a better Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire response compared with those with low insulin-like growth factor-1 levels. A half-day fibromyalgia treatment program is feasible and acceptable to patients. This program was designed to provide an expert interprofessional assessment and treatment recommendations to the referring primary care provider. Overall, the program was positively rated by the participants who, overall, experienced a modest improvement in their fibromyalgia symptoms over a 2-yr period.