Pharmaceutical Care for Migraine and Headache Patients: A Community-Based, Randomized Intervention

Background:Despite the high prevalence of headache and migraine in the general population, many people do not receive adequate medical attention and treatment.Objective:To evaluate the effects of pharmaceutical care (defined as intensified structured counseling between patient and pharmacist, including the use of drug databases), for patients with headache or migraine, on both clinical and psychological endpoints.Methods:A prospective, randomized, controlled intervention study was conducted using pharmacies in Northern Germany. A total of 112 pharmacies (26% of all pharmacies in the study region) recruited 410 patients with headaches. Pharmacies were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Patients were interviewed by telephone prior to the intervention and again after 4 months. Primary endpoints were number of days with headache, number and severity of headaches, self-efficacy, and the patients' perceptions of their health-related quality of life.Results:Each pharmacy treated an average of...