Guideline for primary care management of headache in adults.
OBJECTIVE
To increase the use of evidence-informed approaches to diagnosis, investigation, and treatment of headache for patients in primary care.


METHODS
A comprehensive search was conducted for relevant guidelines and systematic reviews published between January 2000 and May 2011. The guidelines were critically appraised using the AGREE (Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation) tool, and the 6 highest-quality guidelines were used as seed guidelines for the guideline adaptation process.


RESULTS
A multidisciplinary guideline development group of primary care providers and other specialists crafted 91 specific recommendations using a consensus process. The recommendations cover diagnosis, investigation, and management of migraine, tension-type, medication-overuse, and cluster headache.


CONCLUSIONS
A clinical practice guideline for the Canadian health care context was created using a guideline adaptation process to assist multidisciplinary primary care practitioners in providing evidence-informed care for patients with headache.
Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary in Alberta. wbecker@ucalgary.ca.
Werner J
WJ
Becker
Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Ted
T
Findlay
Research Associate in Health Technology Assessment at the Institute of Health Economics in Edmonton, Alta.
Carmen
C
Moga
Research Associate in Health Technology Assessment at the Institute of Health Economics in Edmonton, Alta.
N Ann
NA
Scott
Director of Health Technology Assessment at the Institute of Health Economics.
Christa
C
Harstall
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Paul
P
Taenzer
D000328:Adult; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D051270:Headache Disorders, Primary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy