Family Practice, Vol 14, 238-241, Copyright © 1997 by World Organization of Family Doctors
D Buskila, L Neumann, D Sibirski and P Shvartzman
OBJECTIVES: The aim was to assess the awareness and knowledge of family
physicians about diagnostic and clinical features of fibromyalgia syndrome
(FS), and to evaluate the contribution of rheumatology education to the
improvement of this knowledge. METHODS: A detailed questionnaire on FS was
completed by 172 family physicians. A composite score, based on five items,
was constructed to quantitatively assess knowledge of FS (maximum score of
5). A comparison was made between physicians exposed to extensive education
on FS (in Beer Sheva medical centre) and physicians without such exposure
(in other centres). RESULTS: Ninety-six per cent of the physicians claimed
to be familiar with FS. They recognized most of the FS-related symptoms,
but had limited knowledge of the diagnostic criteria, treatment modalities
and prognosis. Only 55% knew that FS is associated with widespread pain and
25% were familiar with the point count criterion. Physicians trained in
Beer Sheva scored significantly higher than those trained elsewhere: 3.0
+/- 1.2 versus 2.4 +/- 1.2, respectively (P = 0.006), and their knowledge
of FS treatment was significantly better. CONCLUSION: Family physicians in
Israel are quite unfamiliar with the diagnostic criteria of FS, though
educational exposure improves their awareness and knowledge.
ORIGINAL CLINICAL RESEARCH
Awareness of diagnostic and clinical features of fibromyalgia among family physicians
Department of Medicine B, Soroka Medical Centre, Beer Sheva, Israel.
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