FiRST Screening Positivity Among Patients Attending a Tertiary Chronic Pain service in Oman.
- 1Department of Pain and Palliative Care, Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
- 2Department of Anesthesia, Al Buraimi Hospital, Al Buraimi, Oman.
- 3GAPA Pain Clinic, Muscat, Oman.
Abstract
Objective
To estimate the Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST) screening positivity and its sociodemographic associations among adults attending a tertiary chronic pain service in Oman.Methods
This cross-sectional study recruited 401 adults with chronic pain at the Royal Hospital in Muscat between January 2023 and January 2025. Participants completed the six-item Arabic-Egyptian FiRST; scores ≥5/6 defined as positive screening. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics. Bivariate analyses used Pearson's chi-square test, with crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for categorical predictors. Variables with P < 0.20 in bivariate analyses and clinically relevant variables selected a priori were included in the multivariable logistic regression. Adjusted ORs with 95% CIs were reported for the results.Results
Overall, 170/401 participants screened positive (42.4%; exact 95% confidence interval [CI] 37.5-47.4%). Female sex was associated with higher adjusted odds (OR 1.723, 95% CI 1.065-2.787; P=0.027), while participants aged 40-59 years had lower adjusted odds than those aged 18-39 years (OR 0.528, 95% CI 0.317-0.879; P=0.014). The estimate for participants aged ≥60 years was imprecise and not statistically significant (OR 0.535, 95% CI 0.273-1.049; P=0.069). Family relationships, marital status, and academic level were not significantly associated with screening positivity after adjustment.Conclusion
FiRST screening positivity was common in this tertiary pain population in Oman. Female sex and age 40-59 years compared with 18-39 years were associated with screening positive. A positive FiRST screen requires further clinical assessment and does not establish fibromyalgia, central sensitization, or central pain syndrome.
Related
- Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Attending a Tertiary Pulmonary Clinic in Damascus, Syria: A Cross-Sectional Study of Spirometric and Patient-Reported Correlates
- Prevalence and associated factors of chronic kidney disease among hypertensive patients attending cardiac clinic at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania: a hospital-based cross-sectional study
- Sociodemographic and Clinical Profile of Homeless Patients Attending the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Centre in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India: A Prospective Observational Study
- Prevalence and Severity of Hepatic Steatosis and Fibrosis Across Glycemic Categories Among Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital: A FibroScan-Based Cross-Sectional Study
- Prevalence and factors associated with metabolic syndrome among adults with stage 3–5 chronic kidney disease attending tertiary hospitals in Dodoma, Tanzania
BibTeX
@article{maharbi2026first,
title = {{FiRST Screening Positivity Among Patients Attending a Tertiary Chronic Pain service in Oman.}},
author = {Sameeh Khamis Al Maharbi and Rawya Khamis Al Ghafri and Salama Abdullah Al Harthi and Maya Salim Al Muharrami and Maryam Mohammed Al Balushi},
journal = {Journal of pain research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/jpr.s652210},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910234},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - FiRST Screening Positivity Among Patients Attending a Tertiary Chronic Pain service in Oman.
AU - Sameeh Khamis Al Maharbi
AU - Rawya Khamis Al Ghafri
AU - Salama Abdullah Al Harthi
AU - Maya Salim Al Muharrami
AU - Maryam Mohammed Al Balushi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/17
JO - Journal of pain research
DO - 10.2147/jpr.s652210
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910234
AB - Objective To estimate the Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST) screening positivity and its sociodemographic associations among adults attending a tertiary chronic pain service in Oman.Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 401 adults with chronic pain at the Royal Hospital in Muscat between January 2023 and January 2025. Participants completed the six-item Arabic-Egyptian FiRST; scores ≥5/6 defined as positive screening. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics. Bivariate analyses used Pearson's chi-square test, with crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for categorical predictors. Variables with P < 0.20 in bivariate analyses and clinically relevant variables selected a priori were included in the multivariable logistic regression. Adjusted ORs with 95% CIs were reported for the results.Results Overall, 170/401 participants screened positive (42.4%; exact 95% confidence interval [CI] 37.5-47.4%). Female sex was associated with higher adjusted odds (OR 1.723, 95% CI 1.065-2.787; P=0.027), while participants aged 40-59 years had lower adjusted odds than those aged 18-39 years (OR 0.528, 95% CI 0.317-0.879; P=0.014). The estimate for participants aged ≥60 years was imprecise and not statistically significant (OR 0.535, 95% CI 0.273-1.049; P=0.069). Family relationships, marital status, and academic level were not significantly associated with screening positivity after adjustment.Conclusion FiRST screening positivity was common in this tertiary pain population in Oman. Female sex and age 40-59 years compared with 18-39 years were associated with screening positive. A positive FiRST screen requires further clinical assessment and does not establish fibromyalgia, central sensitization, or central pain syndrome.
SN - 1178-7090
ER -