How to Better Understand Fibromyalgia Patients : Insights Gained Through Patient Counselling

Hashimoto Hiroko

doi:10.32183/ifcm.16.1_33

It is often said that fibromyalgia patients are difficult to understand. One reason is that doctors do not have enough time for each patients in clinical settings. Another reason is that medical professionals and patients have different perspectives and goals. Patients have a strong desire to be relieved of pain as soon as possible, or expect genuine understanding of their suffering from doctors in their relentless pursuit of cure. Difficult questions are asked by patients, who are impatient to know if they ever get better or never recover, if there is a wonder drug, who can cure them, and more. This is perfectly understandable from a patient's perspective.Moreover, patients have unbearable pain, anxiety, fear of losing their jobs if they do not return to work soon, financial burdens of long-term medical care, consideration for family members, and the experience of pain before they developed fibromyalgia. In short, they have accumulated a lot of stories to talk about. To listen to their whole stories attentively, a considerable amount of time and placidity on the part of a counsellor are required. Though treatment for fibromyalgia is a time-consuming process, it is imperative to first create a clinical environment which allows therapists to spend enough time with their patients.In this paper, the author introduces some of the stories told by patients on our telephone counselling, which illustrate difficulties and fears they are experiencing, and their anguish and struggle to be cured.

How to Better Understand Fibromyalgia Patients : Insights Gained Through Patient Counselling

Bibliographic Information

Search this article

Description

Journal

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Export

Report a problem