The Pilot of the Turku Outpatient Clinic for Functional and Fatigue Disorders

N/AActive Not RecruitingNCT07272148

Turku University Hospital125 enrolled

Overview

This study examined 125 working-age patients from the Turku Outpatient Clinic for Functional and Fatigue Disorders. "Patients participate in the clinic's biopsychosocial, multidisciplinary, and individually tailored rehabilitation. The aim of the rehabilitation is to improve patients' functional capacity and provide them with tools to manage and cope with their symptoms. In addition, the goal is to break the cycle of unnecessary examinations that cause harm to the patient. Socioeconomic data, as well as information related to functional capacity, symptoms, and quality of life, are collected from patients at the start of rehabilitation and again at six and twelve months after the beginning of rehabilitation. In addition, data on patients' use of social and health care services are requested from registers for the year preceding the start of rehabilitation and for the year following rehabilitation.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

125

Conditions

Persistent Physical Symptoms (PPS)Functional Disorder Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic

Interventions

The clinic's staff included a pilot project coordinator, a physician, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, a psychologist, a rehabilitation counselor, and a ward secretary. At the physician's initial visit, stress system sensitization, burden factors, and need for symptomatic medication were assessed. In a joint rehabilitation team meeting, the patient met a psychologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, and rehabilitation counselor, who conducted a multidisciplinary evaluation and created an individualized rehabilitation plan. Patients then attended a course for persistent bodily symptoms, with some joining a psychophysical breathing group. Individual rehabilitation or counseling was provided according to each patient's needs.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 66 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * patients suffering persistent symptoms * referred to the clinic between August 1, 2023 to April 30, 2025 Exclusion Criteria: * ineligible for the study because of the need for extensive additional examinations in a specialized field, acute substance abuse problems, and/or lack of motivation.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Quality of life of the patients

WHOQOL-BREF

Time frame: At baseline and at 6 and 12 months follow-ups

Secondary Outcomes

Functional limitations of the patients

WHODAS 2.0

Time frame: At baseline and at 6 and 12 months follow-up