Screening

A number of migraine screening tools have been developed to help rectify the problem of under-diagnosis in the primary care setting.

HCPC Screening Questionnaire

The Headache Care for Practising Clinicians (HCPC) guidelines aim to improve headache management by clinicians worldwide. Initiatives include the development of a simple four-item questionnaire designed to allow busy clinicians to quickly make a differential diagnosis between the most common forms of headache.^{[1, 2]} Unlike the diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Society,^[3] the HCPC questionnaire assesses migraine according to the degree of severity/impact/disability caused by the headache. The tool is mainly used to guide the management and treatment of migraine.

 
Patient-completed resources

Patient-completed impact tools (e.g. headache diaries and impact questionnaires) may also aid in the diagnosis and management of migraine. One such tool is the MIDAS questionnaire, which tracks the number of days of disability or missed work, school or family activities experienced by migraine sufferers.

 
Other screening tools include the Lipton-ID MigraineTM tool and the Pryse-Phillips tool.

References:
1. Dowson AJ, Sender J, Lipscombe S, Cady RK, Tepper SJ, Smith R, et al. Establishing principles for migraine management in primary care. Int J Clin Pract 2003;57: 493-507.
2. Dowson AJ, Lipscombe S, Sender J, Rees T, Watson D. New guidelines for the management of migraine in primary care. Curr Med Res Opin 2002;18: 414-39.
3. International Headache Society. The International Classification of Headache Disorders: 2nd edition. Cephalalgia 2004;24 Suppl 1: 9-160.