Headache Awareness Week
17-24 March 2024
“Where Healing Begins with Understanding.”
Global Coalition Launches Migraine-Friendly Hospitals Campaign to Address Misdiagnosis and Improve Patient Care Worldwide
London, 17 March 2024
We´re pleased to launch the Headache Awareness Week – Headache Week Action, occurring from 17 March to 24 March 2024. A coalition of leading healthcare organisations including the International Headache Society (IHS), Lifting the Burden (LTB), World Health Organization (WHO), European Headache Federation (EHF), European Migraine & Headache Alliance (EMHA), Global Migraine & Pain Summit (GMPS), and other local stakeholders. As a first act we are also proud to announce the launch of the Migraine-Friendly Hospitals campaign. This initiative aims to educate healthcare workers, promote empathy, and enhance understanding of patients’ experiences with migraines.
Background
Headache disorders, particularly migraine, exert a profound impact on individuals’ lives, affecting their daily functioning, quality of life, and socioeconomic status. Despite its prevalence and disabling effects, migraine remains underdiagnosed and poorly managed, contributing to unnecessary suffering and economic burdens. Recent studies have highlighted the prevalence of misdiagnosis among migraine sufferers, leading to inappropriate healthcare utilization and suboptimal management.
The Migraine-Friendly Hospitals campaign seeks to address these challenges by:
– Educating healthcare workers on the diverse manifestations of migraine and enhancing diagnostic accuracy
– Promoting empathy and understanding of patients’ experiences with migraines, thereby improving patient-provider communication and treatment outcomes.
Key Messages:
– “Empathy Heals: Compassion in Healthcare Makes All the Difference!”
– “Knowledge is Power: Educating Healthcare Workers to Better Serve Migraine Patients.”
– “Together, We Can Conquer Migraine: Building a Supportive Community for Patients and Providers.”
– “Every Migraine Story Matters: Let’s Listen, Learn, and Heal Together.”
Migraine is a brain disorder that significantly impacts the quality of life of sufferers, often leading to profound challenges in the workplace.
- Migraine is a treatable condition with specific acute and preventive medication options.
- Adherence to the migraine-friendly hospital campaign will decrease underdiagnosis and undertreatment among hospital workers, leading to improved patient care
- An empathetic approach to healthcare workers with migraine not only fosters a supportive work environment but also has a far-reaching impact on public health by reducing stigma and improving treatment outcomes.
The campaign will encompass comprehensive training programs for healthcare professionals, documentation of training completion, and a simultaneous major awareness campaign aimed at reducing stigma and increasing social awareness surrounding migraine.
Training programmes
As part of the Headache Week Action, hospitals worldwide will organize Migraine-Friendly Hospital training programmes, facilitated by member physicians of the coalition. These initiatives will equip healthcare facilities with the necessary tools and knowledge to provide optimal care for migraine patients.
An online Training Programme will take place on Friday 22 March.
Join us in supporting this critical initiative during Headache Week Action and help us build a more compassionate and migraine-friendly healthcare system for all.
Use our social media images (available here) in your social media posts.
Mario Peres, President-elect
International Headache Society – IHS
Derya Uludüz, Chair
Lifting the Burden – LTB
Elena Ruiz de la Torre, Executive Director
European Migraine and Headache Alliance – EMHA
Antoinette Maassen van den Brink, President
European Headache Federation – EHF
Aynur Özge, President
Global Migraine and Pain Summit – GMPS
For more information, please visit the MigraineFriendly Hospitals website.
or email Prof. Derya Uludüz
[email protected]