Rheumatology: Current Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-1149 (Printed)
ISSN: 2161-1149 (Printed)
Luis Severino Martin Martin, Middei Sonia and Pasqualucci Simona
Ospedale Regina Apostolorum, Italy
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Rheumatology
Rheumatic chronic diseases (RCD) are among the most common chronic non-communicable diseases. They are the leading cause of disability in developed countries and consume a large amount of health and social resources. The purpose of this preliminary study (Phoenix project) was to evaluate changes in pain and quality of life of patients suffering from RCD followed by talks in group counseling for emotional support. Group counseling talks for emotional support is a behavioural intervention to facilitate patients adopt and sustain their own health related goals. The counseling group talks has been divided into eight meetings for a period of four months according to the cycle of the Gestalt contact, each meeting lasted two hours. During the first and the last meeting, self-assessment questionnaire SF-36 was given in order to make the results obtained measurable. In patients, there was a significant improvement in quality of life without any change of the treatment set by the specialist; patients expressed great satisfaction with the procedures of the meetings and for their given opportunity to express their emotional state linked to the basic chronic disease. Our preliminary study suggests that group counseling talks for emotional support could be extremely effective in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases.
Email: severino.martin@gmail.com