Non-compliance with follow-up and improvement after treatment at a headache center.
Two telephone surveys were conducted at a major headache center into patient compliance with follow-up and perceived treatment efficacy. The first survey addressed compliance with the recommendation to follow-up after the initial evaluation. Of a group of 316 consecutive patients, 40.5% had not complied with the recommended follow-up visit. Reasons for the non-compliance were given by 60.3%; most frequently mentioned were dislike of the clinician seen and seeking care elsewhere. The second survey concerned 75 patients who had returned at least once to the center for follow-up. When asked about the efficacy of the treatment received, 76.0% reported improvement of their headaches, with 32.0% reporting more than 75% improvement. In addition, 87.5% of the patients reported a decrease in the use of analgesic and/or ergotamine medications. We conclude that treatment of chronic headache is not a priori a hopeless situation and that in the patient compliance with the recommendation to follow-up, in particular the patient-clinician relationship is a critical factor.
Division of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
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EL
Spierings
L F
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Miree
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006261:Headache / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016312:Treatment Refusal