The Effect of Self-Care Support Program on Knowledge, Health Status and Sleep Disturbance Among Patients with Fibromyalgia

Abstract

Context:The second most common rheumatic disease is fibromyalgia, which is a nonarticular type of rheumatism marked by persistent widespread musculoskeletal pain and numerous pressure sore spots. These symptoms have a significant negative influence on the patients' physical, mental, and social well-being. Aim: To evaluate the effect of self-care support program on knowledge, health status and sleep disturbance among patients with fibromyalgia. Methods: A quasi-experimental research (pre/post test) design was employed on a sample of 63 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, selected purposively recruited from the rheumatology outpatient clinic, at Benha University Hospital. The study utilized three research instruments: A structured patients' interviewing questionnaire (Tool I), the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (Tool II), and the Pittsburgh sleep quality scale (Tool III). Results: Showed that the total knowledge mean score , increased with highly statistical significance post one month and follow up of self-care support program implementation at p = 0.000, also fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQR) total mean score of 82.206±10.986 before implementation, decreased significantly to 53.737±8.363 post one month and 21.590±1.712 follow up post three month of self-care support program implementation , which indicating an improvement in patient health status. Regarding quality of sleep, the total mean score for sleep quality decreased statistically significantly one month after implementation to32.841±7.575 and at follow up post three months of program implementation to 27.079±5.555 compared to 68.936±7.99 pre implementation, which indicates better quality of sleep. Conclusion: Implementing self-care support program for patients with fibromyalgia improved knowledge, health status and reduce sleep disturbance.. Recommendations: Educational program for patients to raise their self-care strategy about fibromyalgia related factors should be a priority to ensure early diagnosis of the disease and improve patients' outcomes.