New data on the prevalence and impact of migraine headache indicate that this debilitating disease is substantially under-diagnosed and is not treated optimally in a majority of patients. The result is the majority of migraine patients continue to suffer headache pain and other symptoms so severe that their lives are significantly disrupted. Yet despite advances in treatment specific to this disease, barriers still prevent accurate diagnosis and impede a clinician-patient partnership required for migraine to be treated effectively.
We, the below organizations, seek to gain recognition of migraine as a legitimate, disabling, biological disease and issue a call to action for the advancement of patient education on migraine through an expansion of education programs at all levels. Additionally, we ask for a commitment on the part of health care professionals to help close the gap between diagnosis and treatment opportunities and actual practice. The goal is to achieve optimal management and reduce the burden of disability from this serious health problem.
American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
American Headache Society (AHS)
American Medical Women's Association (AMWA)
American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
Case Management Society of America (CMSA)
National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC)
National Headache Foundation (NHF)
Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR)
American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN)
American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA)
