Just like in diabetes, monitoring and recording symptom fluctuations and changes (good or bad) during treatments, particularly in the early stages, helps a patient identify and connect with treatment outcomes. It also helps the patient recognise predictable fluctuations and patterns in their symptoms and link symptoms to lifestyle issues. The results improve communication with providers to guide decision making towards the optimal treatment regime.

Monitoring data can improve Annual Care Plans. These care plans are tailored to each patient’s unique presentation and life circumstances.

General Practice Medicare Care Plans centrally coordinate a range of health and community service providers. They are developed in consultation with the patient and guided by patient monitoring and feedback.

Monitoring in Fibromyalgia involves keeping a record of patient lifestyle, treatments and symptoms for both patient and doctor.

For further information on monitoring see Fibromyalgia Easy Guides:

• Monitoring 1 – Introduction
• Monitoring 2 – What, When and How to Monitor
• Monitoring 3 – Monitoring Tools

Patient tools are available at: http://www.cfsselfhelp.org/library/type/log_forms_worksheets

Apps are available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/fibromyalgia/top-iphone-android-apps (Best Fibromyalgia Apps for 2020)

Bridges and Pathways and Australian patients are working together to identify and evaluate apps for suitability for Fibromyalgia patients. If you find an app or diary that you can recommend, then please let us know.

Patient Diaries (long-term recordkeeping)

A patient diary is an important tool in the self-management and record-keeping of Fibromyalgia, its symptoms and the treatments and interventions used over time. Diaries help build up a treatment history for providers and guide decision making. For patients it helps keep track and organise their care as well as communicate varying treatment outcomes to their providers towards developing an optimal treatment plan.

A Patient Diary will have several sections, including records of health provider visits, tests, treatments and medication, allied health care (exercise and diet and lifestyle choices). It will have a section for symptom logs, documenting a personal history and other interventions such as massage, chiropractors, psychologists and dental care not always recorded in the care plan. Details relating to the patients’ condition may be included in the forms of appointments, treatment history, medications list (costs, prescriptions, allergies), vaccinations, exercise and diet.

Regular recording in a diary of self-monitoring of symptoms and lifestyle and discussing these with relevant health professionals can be a productive and effective means of communication and can help increase patient autonomy in the management of their condition.

For a more detailed explanation, please visit: http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org/library/7-records-and-worksheets

There are a variety of commercially available patient diaries as well as an increasing number of apps available. We welcome any feedback and suggestions to develop this section further.