Facilitators' intervention variance and outcome influence when using video games with fibromyalgia patients

Abstract

22 adult females diagnosed as suffering Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) participated in two explorative studies investigating potential benefits from playing gesture-controlled video games. A main goal was researching potentials of commercial gaming systems with inbuilt Internet connectivity toward home-based self-driven adaptable 'telerehabilitation' targeting means to increase tolerance to pain and thus, augmenting quality of life for sufferers. Beside this, an aim was to study variance between facilitator formal and informal intervention approaches and to analyze potential influence on outcomes; this is the core focus of this paper. Typical to FMS studies, high patient drop out numbers resulted in limited compliance. Informal facilitator intervention (non-therapist) resulted in significantly higher outcome scores (increased tolerance indicators/reported pain threshold) when compared to a formal therapeutic intervention approach. Findings, whilst not conclusive, offer a point of departure to discuss how intervention approach influences outcomes and patient benefit, especially when a self-driven training regime is designed. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.