Open AccessPrevalence of headaches in individuals referred from primary care to secondary care
Author(s) -
Joismar Manuel Rodrigues,
Vanessa Vilela Caires,
Kátia Beatriz Costa Fontoura,
Teresa Cristina Santos Silva,
Simone Fonseca Goulart,
Cláudia Marcucci Rocha,
Antônio Lúcio Teixeira,
Ariovaldo Alberto da Silva
Publication year - 2011
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2763-6178
DOI - 10.48208/headachemed.2011.29
Subject(s) - referral , medicine , headaches , neurology , primary care , secondary care , family medicine , benchmarking , public health , specialist care , pediatrics , nursing , psychiatry , marketing , business
Background: Improve the quality of public health is a growing necessity today. Identifying reasons for medical referral (from general to specialized care) is a prelude for developing educational initiatives that have this goal. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of headaches as a cause of referral from the primary to the secondary level of public medical care. Methods: First-time referrals from four primary care units to neurology care were assessed. Results: Sample consisted of 587 individuals referred to neurology consultation. Headache was the cause of referral in 31.2% of the individuals; 79.2% of the headache cases were in women. Rates for other diseases were lower and are presented for benchmarking. Conclusion: Headache represented an important cause of demand for neurological care. Education initiatives on principles of headache management are necessary and may translate into decreased referral rates to neurologists.