Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Program for Fibromyalgia Patients in a Primary Care Setting (FIBROCARE Program): A...

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Research
• Health Psychology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Multicomponent, non-pharmacological therapies are recommended for fibromyalgia (FM).
• Limited data exists on their effectiveness within primary care settings.
• The FIBROCARE Program aimed to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the FIBROCARE Program's impact on quality of life, functional status, mood, and pain in FM patients.
• To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of this intervention in a primary care context.

Main Methods:

• A pragmatic, randomized controlled trial compared multicomponent therapy (MT) with usual care.
• MT included health education, physical exercise, and cognitive-behavioral therapy over 12 weekly sessions.
• Outcomes were measured using SF-36, HADS-A, HADS-D, VAS, and FIQR at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6 and 12 months.

Main Results:

• Improvements in pain, functional impact, and physical health persisted for 12 months in the MT group.
• Mental health and anxiety benefits (SF-36 MH, HADS-A) diminished after 6 months.
• Social functioning and depression scores (SF-36 SF, HADS-D) showed sustained benefits up to 12 months.

Conclusions:

• The FIBROCARE Program effectively enhances most health outcomes for fibromyalgia patients.
• Persistent anxiety symptoms suggest a need for stronger psychological support, especially early post-diagnosis.
• Future interventions should integrate more robust psychological components.