Most headache specialists are dissatisfied with emergency department care for patients experiencing headaches, survey results published in Headache revealed.
The researchers surveyed members of the American Headache Society to understand their communication with local EDs and their practice regarding patients who request immediate care. Fifty of 96 eligible members responded to questionnaires.
Four insights:
1. Fifty-nine percent of respondents reported giving rescue treatment to their patients to manage acute headaches.
2. When patients request immediate care, 12 percent of headache specialists said they bring patients into the office most or all the time and 20 percent said they send patients to the ED some or most of the time.
3. Most headache specialists (60 percent) said their ED has a protocol for migraine management, but 62 percent said they are dissatisfied with the care their patients receive in the ED.
4. "More standardized protocols for ED visits by patients with known headache disorders, and clear guidelines for communication between ED providers and treating physicians, along with better methods for follow‐up following discharge from the ED, might appear to improve this issue," the study authors said.
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