Healthcare Professionals Seek Tools for Treating Fibromyalgia Patients

 
ANAHEIM, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2009) —The NFA’s PAIN Kit was well received among healthcare professionals at the recent PAINWeek 2009 conference, presented Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nev. One of the best-attended annual pain conferences in the country, the event provides management strategies for clinicians and professionals who treat pain, including physicians, nursing professionals, physician assistants, pharmacists, psychologists, hypnotherapists, acupuncturists and others.

The NFA’s Physician Assistance, Information & Needs (P.A.I.N.) Kit was designed to assist medical professionals with the diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia. The kit is divided into two parts: resources for healthcare providers (HCPs) and information for their patients.

Kim Dupree Jones, FNP, PhD,  who heads the fibromyalgia research program at Oregon Health and Science University, and renowned FM researcher Patrick Wood, MD, chief medical advisor for the NFA, presented the NFA’s PAIN Kit during their two-hour conference presentation on fibromyalgia—the first time the kit was featured in a continuing medical education event. Approximately 400 healthcare professionals attended this symposium; each received a PAIN Kit to take back to their practice/center.

 
“The first time the NFA participated at a medical conference, healthcare professionals completely avoided our booth and the topic of fibromyalgia,” says NFA President and Founder Lynne Matallana. “It is very gratifying—and a source of great hope—to have had this opportunity to meet and partner with so many professionals who are committed to helping fibromyalgia patients.”

PAIN Kits were also available at the NFA’s exhibit booth in hard copy or on disk. Many visitors wanted both versions, another testament to the need and desire for such a tool.

“The NFA received significant positive feedback during the course of the four-day show,” says Matallana. “Several HCPs who attended the PAIN Kit symposium later stopped by the NFA’s booth to give high praise to the program and to the PAIN Kit. The symposium and kits were mentioned in other conference sessions. And some attendees shared that they were going to use the kit to train others at their workplace.”

Further underscoring this valuable resource, the NFA was asked to participate in PAINWeek 2010 and has entered into discussions with two continuing medical education groups interested in collaborating on a similar project.

About the NFA
The National Fibromyalgia Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to develop and execute programs dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with fibromyalgia. The NFA publishes a quarterly magazine, Fibromyalgia AWARE, and hosts an award-winning website at http://www.FMaware.org.