The Effect of Tele-Nursing Service in Patients Diagnosed With Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition of unknown etiology, characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbances, fatigue, anxiety, and impaired cognitive functions.Fibromyalgia-related pain often increases during or after physical activity and may interfere with patients' ability to perform daily living activities. Despite extensive research, the exact cause of the disease remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of nurse-led telephone counseling on pain severity and physical activity levels in patients who met the inclusion criteria. A total of 44 participants were enrolled: 22 in the intervention group (who received telephone-based counseling and education from a nurse) and 22 in the control group (who received no intervention). All participants were informed about the study, and written informed consent was obtained. At baseline, all patients completed pre-test questionnaires. The intervention group received additional follow-up through two telephone calls during the intervention period. The nurse provided education and counseling on various topics, including pain management strategies, ways to increase physical activity, appropriate exercise, and stress coping techniques. Non-pharmacological treatment options for pain relief were also discussed. The educational intervention lasted approximately 4 weeks. Following the completion of the intervention, post-tests were administered to all participants. Two months after the intervention, the FIQR (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire-Revised),and the McGill Pain Questionnaire were completed by all patients to assess outcomes. Ethical Considerations Prior to the initiation of the study, ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Scientific Research Ethics Committee. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Participants were informed that their involvement was voluntary and that they could withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences. Statistical analysis The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0. Group comparisons were performed using independent-samples t-tests and ANOVA. Statistical significance was set at p\<0.05. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0. Group comparisons were performed using independent-samples t-tests and ANOVA. Statistical significance was set at p\<0.05. Descriptive data were shown with mean, standard deviation, median, number and percentage. Socio-demographic differences between the intervention and control groups were analyzed using Chi-squared tests for nominal variables and independent samples t-tests for continuous variables. Paired t test was used to determine the difference between two normally distributed groups and independent t test was used for nonnormally distributed variables.