Patient Education
Once a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (or similar) is considered, the practitioner should schedule a prolonged visit or series of visits. Front-loading time like this pays tremendous long-term dividends for both practitioner and patient because it allows the physician to understand precisely what is bothering the patient and the patient to understand the goals of - and rationale for - treatment. These visits are an opportunity to explore the patient's symptoms, the impact this has on the patient's life, the patient's perception of what's causing these symptoms and the stressors that may exacerbate the illness. Once this is accomplished, the patient should be educated on the non-destructive nature of this condition, as well as the fact that meaningful improvement rarely occurs without active participation on their part (i.e., there is no "magic bullet").
For patients with mild symptoms, those visits combined with intermittent analgesic therapy is often enough. For patients whose symptoms are pronounced enough to limit daily function, more aggressive therapy typically is necessary, including using combinations of pharmacologic (drug) and non-pharmacologic approaches. Patients with fibromyalgia also should be given reputable sources of information so they can learn more about their illness, including the Arthritis Foundation, fibromyalgia advocacy groups and reputable Web sites like those listed here.
