Efficacy of the FIBROWALK Multicomponent Program Moved to a Virtual Setting for Patients with Fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Proof-of-Concept RCT Performed Alongside the State of Alarm in Spain

Mayte Serrat, Mireia Coll-Omaña, Klara Albajes, Sílvia Solé, Miriam Almirall, Juan V. Luciano and Albert Feliu-Soler
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Mayte Serrat: Unitat d’Expertesa en Síndromes de Sensibilització Central, Servei de Reumatologia, Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Mireia Coll-Omaña: Eodyne Systems, Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O) Research Group, University of Vic, 08500 Vic, Spain
Klara Albajes: Department of Basics, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Sílvia Solé: Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
Miriam Almirall: Unitat d’Expertesa en Síndromes de Sensibilització Central, Servei de Reumatologia, Vall d’Hebron Hospital Universitari, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Juan V. Luciano: Psychological Research in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain (AGORA Research Group), Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain
Albert Feliu-Soler: Psychological Research in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain (AGORA Research Group), Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: FIBROWALK is a multicomponent program including pain neuroscience education, therapeutic exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness training that has recently been found to be effective in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). This RCT started before the COVID-19 pandemic and was moved to a virtual format (i.e., online videos) when the lockdown was declared in Spain. This study is aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a virtual FIBROWALK compared to Treatment-As-Usual (TAU) in patients with FM during the first state of alarm in Spain. A total of 151 patients with FM were randomized into two study arms: FIBROWALK plus TAU vs. TAU alone. The primary outcome was functional impairment. Secondary outcomes were kinesiophobia, anxiety and depressive symptomatology, and physical functioning. Differences between groups at post-treatment assessment were analyzed using Intention-To-Treat (ITT) and completer approaches. Baseline differences between clinical responders and non-responders were also explored. Statistically significant improvements with small-to-moderate effect sizes were observed in FIBROWALK+TAU vs. TAU regarding functional impairment and most secondary outcomes. In our study, the NNT was 5, which was, albeit modestly, indicative of an efficacious intervention. The results of this proof-of-concept RCT preliminarily support the efficacy of virtual FIBROWALK in patients with FM during the Spanish COVID-19 lockdown.

Keywords: fibromyalgia; multicomponent treatment; pain neuroscience education; therapeutic exercise; cognitive behavioral therapy; mindfulness; randomized controlled trial; COVID-19; online treatment; teletherapy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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