Overcoming obstacles: barriers to care in fibromyalgia treatment.

Many patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) receive inadequate or ineffective treatment, often because of multifactorial barriers that stand in the way of appropriate care. These barriers include the high prevalence of medical and psychiatric comorbidities in patients with FMS, the challenges inherent in diagnosing FMS, and the perception among many that FMS is not a 'real' disease. Another major obstacle is that there is often little or no coverage for patients with FMS who do have health insurance, and restricted access to healthcare for those who do not. This article reviews these and other patient-, physician-, and process-related barriers and explains how they interfere with treatment. The article also suggests several common-sense strategies aimed at overcoming these obstacles and improving care for patients with FMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]