Identifying a Researchable Problem Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a disease that affects around 5% of America’s population, especially women. The disease causes a lot of musculoskeletal pain to the victims and a series of discomforts such as numbness and abnormalities of the bowel. Fibromyalgia can be transmitted genetically or develop in the bodies of victims with unhealthy lifestyles. Luckily for the affected, there exist various cures that can contain the disorder and reduce symptoms. Cures can be found in forms of medications, cognitive behavioural therapies, antidepressants, and daily exercises (Clauw & Wallace 2010).

It is interesting to know that the age group most likely to get affected by Fibromyalgia consists of people between the age of 20 and 50. This is the problem that most health experts try to analyse and seek improved medications as well as reduce the potential risks of contracting the disorder in people between 20 and 50 years. Even though the disorder may once in a while appear in a patient’s early life, it is more prevalent in people between 20 and 50 years of age.

This question is very applicable in the field of nursing because there are some types of illnesses that can only be controlled after understanding the risk factors which more likely to be experienced within particular age group. Nurses undergo intensive training on how to handle patients professionally and uphold ethics in their work. This involves professionally handling all types of patients, including those with 20 to 50 years age group bracket. Victims of Fibromyalgia need specialised attention; beyond regular medication, nurses are required to show more understanding of the patient’s condition and also instil coping skills in the patient to help him or her survive the disorder (Marcus & Deadhar, 2010).

Several questions arise as how Fibromyalgia is handled by nurses both on a local and international level. Are nurses fully knowledgeable on the assessment of Fibromyalgia? Our generation has experienced a rapid surge in illnesses and some diseases have symptoms that resemble others which may lead to a fatal case of misdiagnosis (Clauw & Wallace 2010). Numerous reports have been filed in cases where wrong diagnosis of Fibromyalgia has been carried out. The common misdiagnosis occurs when nurses wrongly treat for arthritis or Lyme disease due to the resemblance in symptoms between all three illnesses. Symptom management is thus of huge concern when it comes to handling Fibromyalgia.

It is of great concern that nurses handle their patients ethically and respond accordingly to their emotional statuses. So how well are nurses equipped to handle Fibromyalgia patients in regards to their emotional states and advice them? Research has proved that clinical medication does not offer full remedy for the disease. Since it is associated with causing a lot of physical pain to the victims, nurses are required to adopt a more psychological approach in treating Fibromyalgia (Marcus & Deadhar, 2010).

Since Fibromyalgia manifests itself more between the age of 20 and 50, why is it that this age group is particularly susceptible? What is it that they do differently that puts them more at risk especially with regards to their lifestyle? This is a particular question of interest that many illnesses are plaguing today’s 20-50 years old population especially due to their lifestyle that more often affects things like sleep hygiene of patients. This has even brought the use of a common clinical term for such illnesses as ‘lifestyle diseases’ (Marcus & Deadhar, 2010). Therefore to understand Fibromyalgia, it would be crucial to understand the risk factors that are common for those between 20 and 50 years of age but less common to other age groups.

Some illnesses require a lot of time and resources to bring them under control. Has there sufficient research efforts been put in treatment of Fibromyalgia? Many people would like to believe that the answer to this question is emphatic, due to the lack of a tested drug that fully eradicates the problem. However, this is not truly the case. Several techniques have been developed as well as training for nurses improved on handling Fibromyalgia and such efforts cannot be ignored (Clauw & Wallace 2010).

Is Fibromyalgia under control? This question is very relevant since it helps nurses determine the possibility of Fibromyalgia when patients show symptoms that relate to it. The answer to the question lies in looking at the prevalence rates of Fibromyalgia and since the figures show that around 5% of the population is affected, and there is a bit of hope that the condition is in check.

For Fibromyalgia, the following PICOT question is relevant to research studies; in patients between 20-50 years of age, what is the effect of improving lifestyle habits on reducing the severity of Fibromyalgia compared with taking medication? In answering this question, several variables are in play. It would be suffice to understand that the age group of 20-50 years is of great interest for the researchers. Since there is no well known 100% effective medical drug to eradicate the ailment, it is necessary to compare how patients handle the severity of Fibromyalgia through changes in their lifestyle as per nurses’ advice versus how they can control the disease only using drug therapy (Marcus & Deadhar, 2010).

Keywords in this literature search will include terms such as Fibromyalgia, symptom management, sleep hygiene, lifestyle diseases, musculoskeletal pain, cognitive behavioural therapies, misdiagnosis, drug therapy, age group, and medication. These will be the most recurrent words that any nurse or reader would need to understand as he or she goes through the literature search on Fibromyalgia.

References

Clauw, D, & Wallace, D. (2010). Fibromyalgia. Oxford University Press: United Kingdom.

Marcus, D. A., & Deadhar, A. (2010). Fibromyalgia: A Practical Clinical Guide. United States: Springer Science & Business Media.