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Table 1 Healthcare professionals diagnosing fibromyalgia and use of diagnostic tools

From: UK healthcare services for people with fibromyalgia: results from two web-based national surveys (the PACFiND study)

Main job

Do you diagnose fibromyalgia?

Tools used for diagnosis

No, n (n/N %)

Yes, n (n/N %)

Clinical opinion, n (n/N %)

Tender point exam, n (n/N %)

WPI, n (n/N %)

SS Scale, n (n/N %)

Other, n (n/N %)

No tool, n (n/N %)

N = 979

N = 717

N = the number of the professional group who state they make the diagnosis

General Practitioner

194 (30.3)

446 (69.7)

396 (88.8)

234 (52.5)

112 (25.1)

85 (19.1)

21 (4.7)

2 (0.4)

Hospital doctor

 Pain Medicine

9 (17.0)

44 (83.0)

37 (84.1)

15 (34.1)

25 (56.8)

25 (56.8)

7 (15.9)

0 (0.0)

 Rheumatology

0 (0.0)

111 (100.0)

106 (95.5)

88 (79.3)

48 (43.2)

25 (22.5)

6 (5.4)

0 (0.0)

 Other

25 (83.3)

5 (16.7)

4 (80)

4 (80)

3 (60.0)

2 (40.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

Psychiatrist

3 (75.0)

1 (25.0)

1 (100)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

Nurse

 General Practice

41 (82.0)

9 (18.0)

7 (77.8)

4 (44.4)

5 (55.6)

3 (33.3)

0 (0.0)

1 (11.1)

 Pain Medicine

38 (73.1)

14 (26.9)

12 (85.7)

8 (57.1)

11 (78.6)

10 (71.4)

1 (7.1)

0 (0.0)

 Rheumatology

39 (72.2)

15 (27.8)

12 (80.0)

12 (80.0)

7 (46.7)

3 (20.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

 Other

77 (98.7)

1 (1.3)

1 (100.0)

1 (100.0)

1 (100.0)

1 (100.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

Allied Health Professionals

384 (86.5)

60 (13.5)

51 (85.0)

20 (33.3)

40 (66.7)

32 (53.3)

8 (13.3)

0 (0.0)

Mental Health Professionals

93 (95.9)

4 (4.1)

3 (75.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

2 (50.0)

0 (0.0)

Other

76 (90.5)

7 (8.2)

7 (100)

1 (14.3)

4 (57.1)

3 (42.9)

1 (14.3)

0 (0.0)

Total

979 (57.7)

717 (42.3)

637/717 (88.8)

387/717 (54.0)

256/717 (35.7)

189/717 (26.4)

46/717 (6.4)

3/717 (0.4)

  1. Abbreviations: WPI Widespread Pain Index, SS Scale Symptom Severity Scale