Brief interdisciplinary treatment program for fibromyalgia: Six to twelve months outcome

Objective: To evaluate the impact and long-term benefit of a brief 11/2-day fibromyalgia treatment program. Design: We assessed 6-12-mo outcome of 521 participants who underwent a 11/2-day interdisciplinary fibromyalgia treatment program in a tertiary medical center. We administered three self-reported instruments: the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Short Form-36 Health Status Questionnaire, and a satisfaction survey, at baseline, and 6-12 mos after completing the fibromyalgia treatment program. The difference in the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and Short Form-36 scores before and after the fibromyalgia treatment program was the main outcome measure. Results: Compared with baseline, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire total score was decreased by a mean (SD) of 7.2 (17.7) points at follow-up (P < 0.001). All Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire subscales improved significantly at follow-up (all P < 0.001), except depression score (P = 0.67). The Short Form-36 scores improved significantly in all areas at follow-up (all P < 0.001), except general health perception (P = 0.58) and role emotional (P = 0.13). Conclusions: A brief 11/2-day fibromyalgia treatment program improves symptoms and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia for 6-12 mos. Further clinical investigations are needed to compare this fibromyalgia treatment program with other programs and interventions.