Advocacy in Headache Medicine: Tips at the Bedside, the Institutional Level, and Beyond
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(2020) 20:52
HEADACHE (R.B. HALKER SINGH AND J. VANDERPLUYM, SECTION EDITORS)
Advocacy in Headache Medicine: Tips at the Bedside, the Institutional Level, and Beyond Karissa N. Arca 1 & Amaal J. Starling 1 Received: 29 August 2020 / # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Purpose of Review We describe the pervasiveness of headache diseases across the globe and the need for healthcare advocacy, define healthcare advocacy, and identify how providers can incorporate healthcare advocacy into clinical practice and beyond. Recent Findings Nearly 3 billion people across the globe experience migraine or tension-type headache, yet headache diseases receive a fraction of the funding that is allocated to other diseases. Despite its prevalence, those with headache diseases, especially migraine, experience external and internal stigma. As physicians, our job extends past the direct needs of the patient and must also focus on the systemic problems affecting our patients such as accessibility to healthcare providers and treatment options, as well as addressing stigma. We can empower our patients with education, community, and supportive, non-stigmatizing language used to describe headache diseases. Summary Headache diseases are prevalent throughout the world and contribute to a substantial amount of disability. Disability is further compounded by stigma. Advocacy starts with empowering patients and peers with knowledge. It extends into the workplace to create accommodations and in the community to raise awareness and lobby for access to specialists, treatment options, and research funding. Keywords Headache . Migraine . Advocacy . Awareness
Introduction Advocacy is public support for a cause [1]. As physicians and headache specialists, we advocate for the care of each of our patients by ensuring that the correct diagnosis is made and effective treatment options are prescribed. At the bedside, we educate our patients on their diagnosis, the evaluations involved, and why a particular treatment regimen should be effective. When choosing a treatment, we take into consideration patient preference, potential side effects, and medical comorbidities. Advocacy extends into multi-disciplinary care with other specialists and time spent with insurance This article is part of the Topical Collection on Headache * Karissa N. Arca [email protected] Amaal J. Starling [email protected] 1
Mayo Clinic Arizona, 13400 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA
companies to ensure cost-effectiveness of the recommendations we make. However, these aspects of direct patient care and management do not target the root cause of systemic issues that affect our patients with headache diseases—stigma, cost of medications, why one medication or treatment option is approved by insurance but another is not, and general access to specialty care to name a few. These barriers to care are the by-product of under-education, lack of research and associated funding, and a culture of misunderstanding of migraine and other
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