[Restrictions in participation in women with fibromyalgia syndrome. An explorative pilot study]

Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST): Arabic Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM), a complex neurological disorder, has multiple consequences for the patient. To diagnose patients, healthcare practitioners use multiple diagnostic questionnaires. However, Arabic translated or validated tools are lacking. This study aimed to translate and validate the Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST) into the Arabic language. Methods: Forward and backward translations of the FiRST were conducted by two Arabic translators and two English-certified translators. The survey was piloted (n = 5) and subjected to cognitive interviews and psychometric analysis. Patients were recruited from a university hospital in Riyadh and an FM support group in Saudi Arabia. The internal consistency, factor analysis, and test–retest correlations were evaluated. Results: This study included 46 patients. The stepwise translation process resulted in minor edits related to the use of synonyms to the survey items. The translated survey had a good internal consistency and test–retest correlation, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.7 and Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.79 (p-value < 0.001), respectively. The survey was factorable into two themes: generalized symptoms and more specific sensations. Conclusions: The Arabic FiRST is a simple, valid, and reliable tool to diagnose patients with FM in different settings.

Prevalence of Fibromyalgia in Pharmacy Professionals and Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

The prevalence of fibromyalgia (FM) in pharmacy students and professionals is unknown. This study identifies the prevalence of FM in pharmacy students and professionals using three screening tools and factors associated with its development. Furthermore, this study assesses the level of agreement between the tools and the magnitude of the participants’ responses to each item in the screening tools.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional survey conducted on members of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society using an online questionnaire. The participants were asked to fill three questionnaires: the London Fibromyalgia Epidemiology Study Screening Questionnaire (LFESSQ), Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST) and Fibromyalgia Survey Questionnaire (FSQ). Demographic data and factors affecting FM in pharmacy students and professionals were collected and analysed.

Results

Two hundred ninety-three participants accessed the survey: most of them were Saudi (93.5%) and females (78.8%) with a mean (standard deviation) age of 29 (8) years. Furthermore, 52% of the participants had generalised body pain. The prevalence of FM using FiRST, LFESSQ Pain, LFESSQ with fatigue criteria and FSQ was 27.1%, 34.9%, 50.9% and 68.4%, respectively. Fleiss’ kappa coefficient revealed fair agreement among all three screening tools (kappa = 0.350; p < 0.001). After adjusting for significant variables, the resulting adjusted odds ratio of developing FM was 4.86 in people working for 41–45 h weekly (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32–17.84; p = 0.017), 5.16 in people who frequently wake up during sleep (95% CI, 1.85–14.40; p = 0.002) and 12.99 in people with sleep apnea or other sleeping disorders (95% CI, 2.07–81.68; p = 0.006).

Conclusion

FM was prevalent among pharmacy students and professionals and was much more than data reported on the general population or other healthcare workers. Traditional factors along with higher working hours were identified as significant variables.

Participation and social functioning in patients with fibromyalgia: development and testing of a new questionnaire

Background

While there are numerous instruments for capturing the symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients, there is a lack of questionnaires capable of measuring in detail FMS patients’ participation and social functioning. It was our aim to develop and methodologically test a new patient questionnaire specific to FMS measuring these concepts (the “Fibromyalgia Participation Questionnaire” FPQ).

Methods

We first conducted a qualitative prestudy (focus groups, N = 38) to identify which impairments FMS patients experience in daily life because of their illness. To analyze the data we developed a coding system that contained 10 supercategories and a total of 105 subcategories. Items for the FPQ were developed from the subcategories. The psychometric analysis was done on a sample of N = 256 FMS patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation in Germany.

Results

The final version of the FPQ contained 27 items and three scales (participation in social life FPQ-S, 11 items; participation in daily life FPQ-D, 11 items, participation in work-life FPQ-W 5 items). The FPQ displays good distribution properties, all the scales are unidimensional, and the scales fit to the Rasch model. Cronbach’s Alpha range from 0.85 to 0.94. We noted indications of construct validity in that the FPQ correlates as expected with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (physical scale), Pain Disability Index and scales from the PROMIS® item banks for satisfaction with participation. The FPQ scales generally reveal greater responsiveness than other instruments. By linking FPQ items to the categories of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) we demonstrate content validity.

Conclusions

The FPQ captures participation and social functioning in FMS patients. As its psychometric properties are good, it can be recommended for use in evaluation studies and clinical trials.