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An article just published in Neurology Advisor notes that the ongoing growth of the urgent care industry has led more and more patients with migraine to visit urgent care centers instead of the emergency room, where “long wait times, bright lights, loud noises, and stress over cost of treatment associated with emergency departments…can exacerbate migraine symptoms.” At the same time, the authors suggest that greater adherence to current treatment guidelines from the American Headache Society (AHS) could benefit patients while further reducing the need for (and cost of) trips to the ED. The study reflected a retrospective chart review of patients at two urgent care locations within the New York University Langone Health System between 2015 and 2018. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and triptans were the most widely used treatments. While triptans are recommended by the AHS, the rate of their use in the urgent care centers studied fell below what would be appropriate per the guidelines. Most patients (78.2%) received some prescription during their urgent care visit.

 

Urgent Care Is Attracting More Migraine Patients; Be Sure You Know the Guidelines