Plain Language Summaries | The Institute of Applied Health Sciences

Plain Language Summaries

Here you can read summaries of some of our recent research findings, without the technical jargon.

Patient preferences on healthcare services for people with fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic health condition affecting about 2.5 million people in the UK. We asked 518 patients diagnosed with the condition to complete a short survey to tell us what features they would prefer to see when considering healthcare services for people with fibromyalgia.

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Assessing work measures of the impact of chronic pain on work

Chronic pain can have a big effect on people's work. The impact of chronic pain on work has traditionally been measured by looking at the number of sick days people take; this research seeks to examine existing measures of the impact of chronic pain on work, and important gaps which remain.

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Delivering effective care services for people with vasculitis in the UK

Vasculitis is a group of rare autoimmune conditions that cause inflammation of the blood vessels. The VOICES study set out to provide evidence of how best to deliver effective services that will improve health outcomes and experiences of care for people living with vasculitis.

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New approaches to improve fatigue in people with inflammatory arthritis

We interviewed therapists and patients to get their views on Cognitive-Behavioural Approach (CBA) and Personalised Exercise Programmes (PEP) designed to address fatigue in people with inflammatory rheumatic conditions.

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UK healthcare services for people with fibromyalgia

Two web-based national surveys captured the profile of both NHS and non-NHS healthcare services in the UK for people with fibromyalgia.

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EULAR recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia

A summary of the latest EULAR recommendations for pharmacological and non-drug management of fibromyalgia, based on research including group members.

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CBA and personalised exercise programme for fatigue in inflammatory arthritis

Both a cognitive behavioural approach and a personalised exercise programme were shown to be effective in lessening the severity and impact of fatigue for those with inflammatory arthritis.

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Healthcare for MSK conditions during lockdown

We conducted as series of interviews with people with MSK conditions to see how lockdown had effected their access to healthcare services.

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Work and MSK conditions in lockdown

We interviewed existing study participants to find out how lockdown had an effect on their musculoskeletal conditions and work.

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Musculoskeletal health during COVID-19 lockdown

We compared factors, including pain, fatigue, quality of life and mental health, from three previous study participants to see how their these may have been affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.

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axSpA, depression and response to TNF inhibitors

People with moderate-to-severe symptoms of depression, compared to people with none, responded less well to treatment with TNF inhibitors, including factors such as pain, physical function, fatigue and quality of life.

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Health and healthcare experiences of people with symptoms of fibromyalgia

When compared with people with chronic widespread pain, people with fibromyalgia symptoms (whether diagnosed or undiagnosed) felt a greater impact of their symptoms, especially in their ability to function in daily life and to work.

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Factors affecting fibromyalgia in patients with axSpa

Patients who develop fibromyalgia tend to have more severe axSpa symptoms, while those who recover from fibromyalgia tend to have less severe symptoms.

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Driving difficulty and work in patients with axSpa

AxSpa patients with pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression are more likely to have driving difficulty, which in turn is likely to impact on their productivity at work.

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Talking therapy and health

The MAmMOTH Study found that people receiving talking therapy reported less fatigue, better sleep, lower levels of distress and a better quality of life overall.

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Physical activity, sleep disturbance, and the likelihood of future pain in older adults

Being physically active is associated with a lower likelihood of future pain in older adults, but only when sleep is not disturbed.

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Talking therapy for people with axSpa and fibromyalgia

A short course of telephone CBT is likely to help improve the health of people with axSpa who also have fibromyalgia.

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Spinal mobility factors in patients with axial spondyloarthritis

Certain factors can predict poor spinal mobility in axSpA patients, which can in turn predict a lower effectiveness of biologic drug therapy.

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Opioid use in Great Britain

A study of people who regularly use opioids in Great Britain, indicating that such use is common, and may have implications for the mortality of those taking these medications.

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Persistent opioid use in Europe

When comparing use in Europe, it was not possible to describe particular national trends, nor trends depending on the type of surgery involved, indicating more research is needed.

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Side effects of tapentadol in chronic pain patients

When comparing the risk of side effects in opioid medications, studies of the effects of tapentadol show concerns over how precise these comparisons are.

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Biologic therapies for people with axial spondyloarthritis

When compared with clinical trial data, fewer patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpa) respond to biologic therapy than expected.

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Quality of life factors for people with axial spondyloarthritis

Our study found the main factors affecting patients' quality of life were having a more active disease, and worse physical function, but a number of other factors were also important.

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Work, axial spondyloarthritis and living in rural areas

For people living with axial spondyloarthritis in rural areas, their work is more affected than people living in urban environments.

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Effect of activity on arm pain

Patients with arm pain do better if they try to keep active rather than resting.

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