Fibromyalgia and employment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Employed and diagnosed with fibromyalgia; exploring individual experiences.
IRAS ID
165704
Contact name
Sarah Jervis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 5 days
Research summary
A qualitative study to explore the experiences of having a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and being employed.
The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of working when diagnosed with fibromyalgia to help inform Occupational Therapy understanding and future interventions with this patient group. The rationale for completing this study is an identified lack of existing information in the literature relating to employment and fibromyalgia in a UK setting, with very little aimed at an Occupational Therapy audience.
Eligible participants will be those who are over 18, have a primary diagnosis of Fibromyalgia from their Rheumatologist (in accordance with American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelnes), in paid employment and English speaking.
Those with a concomitant condition which may also impact on their work ability or who have a significant and uncontrolled mental health diagnosis, or who have cognitive conditions affecting the ability to understand and/or communicate information such as dementia, will not be eligible.
Each participant will be required to complete one individual interview with the researcher, lasting approximately one to one and a half hours. This will be conducted either on site in the grounds of the Countess of Chester Hospital, on site at Bache Hall or at the participant's own home. This interview will be digitally audio recorded for the purposes of data analysis.
The study will last for approximately eight months (including data transcription, analysis and write up).
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0627
Date of REC Opinion
31 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion