{"id":17905,"date":"2025-09-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/?p=17905"},"modified":"2026-02-02T11:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T16:58:10","slug":"doctorsandfibromyalgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/doctorsandfibromyalgia","title":{"rendered":"Que savent les m\u00e9decins sur la fibromyalgie et comment la traitent-ils\u00a0?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Publication Date:<\/strong> 2024<br><strong>Journal:<\/strong> <em>Medicine<\/em><br><strong>R\u00e9f\u00e9rence de la revue<\/strong> Agarwal, A., Emary, P.C., et al. (2024). Physicians\u2019 knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding fibromyalgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies. <em>Medicine, 103<\/em>(31), e39109. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/MD.0000000000039109\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/MD.0000000000039109<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Contexte :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Previous studies show provider stigma and inadequate pain management are common reasons for frustration amongst fibromyalgia patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Les m\u00e9decins ne s'accordent pas toujours sur la fa\u00e7on de traiter la fibromyalgie (FM). Les traitements qu'ils recommandent sont tr\u00e8s vari\u00e9s, et ce qui fonctionne pour une personne peut ne pas fonctionner pour une autre. Certains traitements, comme l'exercice physique, sont efficaces pour de nombreuses personnes, mais d'autres, comme les opio\u00efdes ou les th\u00e9rapies alternatives, sont rarement recommand\u00e9s. De plus, de nombreux m\u00e9decins ne suivent pas de directives claires concernant la FM, ce qui peut compliquer l'acc\u00e8s \u00e0 des soins r\u00e9guliers pour les patients. Cette \u00e9tude a examin\u00e9 la perception des m\u00e9decins concernant la FM, leur traitement et les difficult\u00e9s rencontr\u00e9es par les patients lorsqu'ils cherchent de l'aide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Who Was Studied:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>This research reviewed <strong>21 studies<\/strong> with data from <strong>8,904 doctors<\/strong> worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>24% of studies were in the U.S<strong>.<\/strong>,<strong> 19% in Canada,<\/strong> and others came from countries like China, Spain, and Iran.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The participants included general practitioners (GPs), rheumatologists, and physicians in training, with a mix of experience levels and specialties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How the Study was Conducted:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies, dating back to 1997, looking at <strong>physician\u2019s knowledge, attitudes and practices <\/strong>about fibromyalgia - not comparing what treatments work the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Findings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Doctors Recommend Many Different Treatments:<\/strong>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Non-opioid painkillers (67%)<\/strong> et <strong>antidepressants (67%)<\/strong> were among the most commonly recommended medications for FM<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NSAIDs (like ibuprofen)<\/strong> were supported by <strong>49% <\/strong>of doctors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anticonvulsant medications (e.g., pregabalin) were recommended by 33% <\/strong>of doctors, with higher endorsement in high-income countries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Very few doctors recommended <strong>corticosteroids (22%)<\/strong>, <strong>opioids (7%)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Exercise<\/strong> was a popular non-drug treatment <strong>(73% of doctors)<\/strong>. Walking or swimming was recommended by two-thirdsof doctors and aerobics by<strong> 22-50%<\/strong> of doctors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alternative therapies likehomeopathy, massage, or chiropractic care were recommended&nbsp; <strong>(3%\u201321%)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Doctors Use Different Methods to Diagnose FM:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Only <strong>49% of doctors know the official criteria<\/strong> for diagnosing FM (such as the American College of Rheumatology). Rheumatologists were more familiar with these criteria (<strong>69%<\/strong>) compared to GPs (<strong>38%<\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some doctors don\u2019t use these guidelines at all, which leads to differences in how FM is identified and treated (65% use the criteria to diagnose)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Doctors Find FM Patients Hard to Treat:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>76% of doctors said FM patients take too much time and are challenging to manage.<\/strong> They described patients as overly focused on their illness and looking for answers that medicine can\u2019t always provide<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>50% of Canadian rheumatologists may refuse referrals<\/strong> for FM patients, believing GPs should manage the condition. However, many GPs feel that specialists like rheumatologists should handle FM care.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disagreement About FM\u2019s Cause:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Doctors are divided on whether FM is primarily psychological or biological. <strong>51% view it as a psychosocial condition <\/strong>(ranged from 31-72%)<strong>,<\/strong> this understanding can influence how they approach treatment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>84% of doctors consider fibromyalgia as a real medical condition. In other words, most knew that fibromyalgia is real.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Limitations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The publication dates are as far back as 1997.&nbsp; Findings from older studies were not compared to findings from newer studies to see how provider perceptions may have changed over the years. This may be because the studies were not carried out&nbsp; in the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the percent estimates from combining studies had inconsistencies that the researchers could not explain, making them less confident in the exact findings (i.e., percentages)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The article only reviewed studies that were published in English. The article\u2019s summary might not apply to perceptions of francophone healthcare providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussions\/ Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This study highlights serious gaps in how FM is understood and treated by healthcare providers. Many doctors lack up-to-date knowledge or follow inconsistent practices, making it harder for patients to get reliable, effective care. Frustration among doctors and stigma toward FM patients only add to these challenges, with some physicians even refusing to see FM patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have FM, advocating for yourself and finding a doctor and other healthcare providers with expertise in FM care is crucial. There is an urgent need for better education and updated guidelines to ensure all FM patients receive the compassionate and effective care they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Article summarized by FAC Research Committee <em>&nbsp;2025<\/em> For more information consult the original article <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/MD.0000000000039109\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/MD.0000000000039109<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Les m\u00e9decins ne s'accordent pas toujours sur la fa\u00e7on de traiter la fibromyalgie (FM). Les traitements qu'ils recommandent sont tr\u00e8s vari\u00e9s, et ce qui fonctionne pour une personne peut ne pas fonctionner pour une autre. Certains traitements, comme l'exercice physique, sont efficaces pour de nombreuses personnes, mais d'autres, comme les opio\u00efdes ou les th\u00e9rapies alternatives, sont rarement recommand\u00e9s. De plus, de nombreux m\u00e9decins ne suivent pas de directives claires concernant la FM, ce qui peut compliquer l'acc\u00e8s \u00e0 des soins r\u00e9guliers pour les patients. Cette \u00e9tude a examin\u00e9 la perception des m\u00e9decins concernant la FM, leur traitement et les difficult\u00e9s rencontr\u00e9es par les patients lorsqu'ils cherchent de l'aide.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":967,"featured_media":17899,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[71,287],"tags":[298],"class_list":["post-17905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-highlights","category-sociable","tag-doctor","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/967"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibrocanada.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}