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| This news site is not sanctioned by, nor part of, the Diamond Headache Foundation, The American Academy of Neurology OR The American Headache Society. |
| News covering selected sessions related to migraine from 2008 medical conferences. |
| Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology |
Chicago, IL April 15-18, 2008 |
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Survey Reveals Spotty Patient Knowledge
about Headache |
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BY DON SCHRADER
Contributing Writer |
CHICAGO
(EGMN)— Headache patients treated at a specialty
clinic have a relatively good understanding of headache but
spotty knowledge about treatment strategies, suggest findings
from a small study of patients at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center in Washington, D.C.
More than half of the study’s participants correctly answered a
majority of survey items related to general headache knowledge,
reported Ulgen S. Fideli of Walter Reed on April 15 during the
annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. In general,
female patients were more knowledgeable than were male patients
and were twice as likely to provide correct answers to about one
fourth of the survey items.
Neither male nor female patients could identify abortive and
preventive medications by name. Moreover, answers related to the
use of headache medications were inconsistent.
The findings came from a retrospective analysis of responses to
a questionnaire completed by all patients. The study consisted
of responses by 38 patients treated at a headache specialty
clinic at Walter Reed over an 8-month period.
The study population, 20 men and 18 women, comprised 25 patients
with a migraine diagnosis, 22 with a diagnosis of chronic daily
headache, and 16 with a dual diagnosis. The patients’ mean age
was 35. Duration of headache ranged from 2 months to 34 years
and did not correlate with headache knowledge.
The patients correctly answered 11 of 18 items about general
headache knowledge more than 50% of the time, although women
consistently demonstrated better knowledge. On six of 25 items,
women were twice as likely as men to answer correctly, including
items about foods and caffeine as headache triggers, the need to
take abortive medications early in the course of a headache,
medications as a cause of rebound headache, and appropriate use
of specific medications.
Overall, more than 60% of patients knew that headache
medications sometimes cause headaches, but only 45% knew that
medications can cause rebound headaches. Two thirds of patients
knew that preventive medications should be taken daily, and more
than 60% knew to take abortive medications for an evolving
headache. Half the patients knew to take an abortive medication
early in the course of a headache.
The findings support the use of patient questionnaires as an aid
to planning and implementation of treatment strategies for
headache.
“The fund of knowledge is sometimes spotty and incomplete,
particularly with regard to roles of individual medications,”
concluded Fideli and his colleagues. “Women are overall more
knowledgeable than men about headache disorders. Provider
insight, through patient surveys, into patient headache disorder
knowledge can complement headache treatment strategies and
through education can possibly effect an improvement in headache
treatment outcomes.” |
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