Development of an Electronic Clinical Guide for Primary Care Providers Treating Individuals with Fibromyalgia (FM)

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a rheumatic disorder characterized by widespread chronic pain, morning stiffness, fatigue, cognitive difficulty, headaches, and a lack of profound sleep. The purpose of this best practice protocol is to provide an electronic clinical guide with information to nurse practitioners and other primary care providers in the primary care setting about various novel treatment options for the management of chronic pain in individuals with FM. With this clinical guide, the primary care provider will be educated and updated on novel treatment options to better control chronic pain in their patients with various pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions. A total of ten articles were reviewed and addressed which investigated the effectiveness and safety of the following: Acupuncture, Whole Body Vibrations, Reiki, Physical Activity, Electromagnetic Stimulation, Psychotherapy and Primary Care, and Craniosacral therapy and the following drugs, gabapentin, amitriptyline, duloxetine, pregabalin, and esreboxetine.