Chronic Widespread Pain, Including Fibromyalgia
Chronic Widespread Pain, Including Fibromyalgia
CWP, including fibromyalgia, comprises one of the most difficult areas of long-term pain to manage. Part of the reason is its intangibility. This creates potential pitfalls that the pathway seeks to address. Change will not come without significant organizational resources along with the will for specialist and non-specialist groups to create new pathways for care. The role of the specialist is likely not to be diminished. Instead, they can expect to be more challenged as they will be managing those patients whose health has not improved despite their primary care clinician having followed a comprehensive guideline. New ways of working may need to emerge and be recognized so that specialists can support their primary care colleagues in this work. Most importantly, implementation of this pathway may transform care and health outcomes for people with CWP and fibromyalgia for the better.
Conclusion
CWP, including fibromyalgia, comprises one of the most difficult areas of long-term pain to manage. Part of the reason is its intangibility. This creates potential pitfalls that the pathway seeks to address. Change will not come without significant organizational resources along with the will for specialist and non-specialist groups to create new pathways for care. The role of the specialist is likely not to be diminished. Instead, they can expect to be more challenged as they will be managing those patients whose health has not improved despite their primary care clinician having followed a comprehensive guideline. New ways of working may need to emerge and be recognized so that specialists can support their primary care colleagues in this work. Most importantly, implementation of this pathway may transform care and health outcomes for people with CWP and fibromyalgia for the better.
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