Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a health and wellness coaching (HWC)-based intervention for fibromyalgia (FM) would result in sustained improvements in health and quality of life, and reductions in health care utilization.MethodsNine female subjects meeting American College of Rheumatology criteria for a diagnosis of primary FM were studied. The HWC protocol had two components, which were delivered telephonically over a twelve-month period. First, each patient met individually with a coach during the 12 month study at the patient’s preference of schedule and frequency (Range:22–32 × 45-min sessions). Coaches were health professionals trained in health and wellness coaching tasks, knowledge, and skills. Second, each patient participated in bimonthly (first six months) and monthly (second six months) group classes on self-coaching strategies during the 12 month study. Prior to the intervention, and after 6 months and 12 months of coaching, the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) was used to measure health and quality of life, and the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI) was used to measure pain intensity and interference with function. Total and rheumatology-related health encounters were documented using electronic medical records. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.ResultsAll nine patients finished the HWC protocol. FIQR scores improved by 35 % (P = 0.001). BPI scores decreased by 32 % overall (P = 0.006), 31 % for severity (P = 0.02), and 44 % for interference (P = 0.006). Health care utilization declined by 86 % (P = 0.006) for total and 78 % (P < 0.0001) for rheumatology-related encounters.ConclusionThe HWC program added to standard FM therapy produced clinically significant improvements in quality of life measures (FIQR), pain (BPI), and marked reductions in health care utilization. Such improvements do not typically occur spontaneously in FM patients, suggesting that HWC deserves further consideration as an intervention for FM.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a health and wellness coaching (HWC)based intervention for fibromyalgia (FM) would result in sustained improvements in health and quality of life, and reductions in health care utilization
We recently reported that a positive diagnosis can be provided and objective assessment of disease activity determined for FM patients using infrared microspectroscopy and chemometrics [8]
Subject recruitment Ten female subjects meeting American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for a diagnosis of primary FM were recruited from The Ohio State University (OSU) Rheumatology clinics located in Columbus OH
Summary
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a health and wellness coaching (HWC)based intervention for fibromyalgia (FM) would result in sustained improvements in health and quality of life, and reductions in health care utilization. Two factors that determine the subsequent health and quality of life of FM patients are a positive diagnosis and effective treatment [7]. We recently reported that a positive diagnosis can be provided and objective assessment of disease activity determined for FM patients using infrared microspectroscopy and chemometrics [8]. This approach, which represents an advance over traditional methods of clinical diagnosis, currently is undergoing further validation, refinement and approval before being introduced into clinical practice
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