Many Generalists Lack Knowledge on Fibromyalgia Diagnosis and Treatment
A marked lack of confidence and knowledge on diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia was found in a survey of family and internal medicine practitioners. Nearly two-thirds of respondents requested more information on this topic, reported research led by Carl Possidente, PharmD, adjunct assistant professor of nursing, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont.1
This survey of 133 physicians (62.8%), nurse practitioners (24.8%), and physician assistants (12.4%) revealed the following gaps in knowledge.
- 57% of respondents were aware of the American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia and of these only 59% regularly use the guidelines.
- 54% were confident in their ability to recognize fibromyalgia symptoms.
- 32.8% were completely or mostly confident in their ability to treat the condition.
- 98% said that fibromyalgia was always or occasionally misdiagnosed.
The findings “support the widespread belief that fibromyalgia is a difficult condition to identify and treat,” the authors concluded. Despite these barriers, 80% of practitioners prescribed medications to treat fibromyalgia.
Reference
- Possidente C, Tandan R. A survey evaluating providers’ awareness and treatment of fibromyalgia. Pain. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2011.02.072.
