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How Well Do Headache Patients Remember? A Comparison of Self‐Report Measures of Headache Frequency and Severity in Patients with Migraine
Author(s) -
McKenzie Jeff A.,
Cutrer F. Michael
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2009.01411.x
Subject(s) - recall , migraine , medicine , physical therapy , severity of illness , pediatrics , anesthesia , psychology , cognitive psychology
Objective.— To compare patient recall of migraine headache frequency and severity over 4 weeks prior to a return visit as reported in an interval questionnaire vs a daily diary. Background.— Many therapeutic decisions in the management of migraine patients are based on patient recall of response to treatment. As consistent completion of a daily headache diary is problematic, we have assessed the reliability of patient recall in a 1‐time questionnaire. Methods.— Headache frequency and average severity (0 to 3‐point scale) were reported in an interval questionnaire by 209 patients who had also maintained a daily diary over the same 4‐week period. Results.— Headache frequency over the previous 4 weeks as reported in interval questionnaires (14.7) was not different from that documented in diaries (15.1), P = .056. However, reported average headache severity on a 0 to 3 scale as reported in the questionnaire (1.84) was worse than that documented in the diaries (1.63), P < .001. Conclusions.— In the management of individual patients, the daily diary is still preferable when available. Aggregate assessment of headache frequency in groups of patients based on recall of the prior 4 weeks is equally as reliable as a diary. Headache severity reported in questionnaires tends to be greater than that documented in daily diaries and may be less reliable.