Sleep disturbance is one of the most commonly reported symptoms in people with fibromyalgia and an adverse prognostic factor. Management of fibromyalgia often includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions; however, it is unclear which interventions are most effective and safe in improving fibromyalgia-related sleep problems. It is also unclear whether current instruments used to assess the sleep quality of people with fibromyalgia measure the same construct and whether they are of relevance to those affected.
The overarching aim of this evidence synthesis funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Health Technology Assessment Programme is to assess and integrate the existing quantitative and qualitative evidence on the interventions used for the management of fibromyalgia-related sleep problems. This will include the following specific objectives:
- Undertaking a comprehensive quantitative evidence synthesis to assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for the management of fibromyalgia-related sleep problems;
- Updating a recently published qualitative evidence synthesis to ascertain the experiences and expectations of people who receive treatments for fibromyalgia-related sleep problems;
- Examining the item content of existing patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) related to sleep in people with fibromyalgia to assess heterogeneity and patient relevance.Â
The results of this comprehensive evidence synthesis, which will be conducted by a multidisciplinary research team including patient partners and experts in the field of fibromyalgia, will provide useful information to help patients’ self-management, aid clinical decision making and guide future research.
The project starts in October 2021 and is funded for 12 months.
Contacts
- Miriam Brazzelli; m.brazzelli@abdn.ac.uk