Assessment of Migraineurs Referred to a Specialist Headache Clinic in Singapore: Diagnosis, Treatment Strategies, Outcomes, Knowledge of Migraine Treatments And Satisfaction

• Published in: Cephalalgia Vol. 25; no. 12; pp. 1122 - 1132
• Main Authors: Soon, YY, Siow, HC, Tan, CY
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.12.2005; Blackwell Science Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Community Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Disability and treatment; Female; headache clinic; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; migraine; Migraine Disorders - diagnosis; Migraine Disorders - epidemiology; Migraine Disorders - therapy; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Pain Clinics - statistics & numerical data; Patient Satisfaction - statistics & numerical data; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data; Professional Competence - statistics & numerical data; Quality of Life; Singapore - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Singapore; headache clinic; migraine; quality of life; Disability and treatment
• ISSN: 0333-1024; 1468-2982
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2982.2005.00969.x

This study aimed to compare (i) migraineurs' diagnosis, treatment strategies and satisfaction when treated by community care physicians (CCPs) and at the specialist headache clinic; (ii) migraineurs' knowledge of migraine treatments and outcomes at baseline and at 3 months' interval. Thirty-eight patients were interviewed at baseline visit and 3 months after neurologist consultation, using a survey form which consisted of a series of self-designed questions, the MIDAS questionnaire and the SF-36 Health Survey. More patients were informed of the diagnosis of migraine by the neurologist than by CCPs. Compared with CCPs, the neurologist was more likely to employ preventive therapies, prescribe triptans and ask patients to keep a headache diary. Patients' number of days with headaches in the last 3 months, pain intensity, MIDAS score and five out of the eight SF-36 domain scores were significantly improved at the 3 months' interval (P < 0.05) compared with baseline at the specialist headache clinic. More patients recognized migraine-specific therapies and reported satisfaction with treatment after the neurologist consultation. This is the first study detailing significant improvements in patients' clinical outcomes, knowledge of migraine treatments and satisfaction after consultation at a specialist headache clinic in Singapore.