Knowledge on fibromyalgia among general practitioners, from Chiclayo-Peru, 2016.

OBJECTIVE

Knowledge about fibromyalgia in general practitioners in the province of Chiclayo, Peru, 2016.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Cross sectional descriptive study. Non-probability sampling, census type. In all, 145 physicians were evaluated through a questionnaire of 14 questions, validated by experts and a pilot. The analysis was performed using STATA v. 13.

RESULTS

Accuracy in questions involving diagnosis was 41.1% and in questions about treatment: 65%; 75.1% 'had seen patients with fibromyalgia' previously. The average on locating pain points was 2.2±2.8. Only 2.8% identified 11 or more painful points; 54.5% answered that 'the diagnosis is clinical and exams are for the differential diagnosis'; 46.1% in Ministerio de Salud (MINSA) and 28.3% in Seguro Social de Salud (EsSalud) answered the item about diagnostic criteria (P=.021); 65.7% said that psychotherapy, pregabalin and aerobic exercise were the most effective therapeutic triad, with no differences between MINSA and EsSalud: 61.5% vs. 68.6% (P=.23); 59.3% responded that drugs that had proved to be useful were: Pregabalin, duloxetine and amitriptyline; 66.2% responded that the most effective physical therapy is aerobic exercise.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia by general doctors in Chiclayo is poor. There are some differences in knowledge depending on the age and type of institution to which each belongs.