At the recent Migraine Trust International Symposium, the world’s longest established headache medicine conference, advocates came together to call for improved policies for those affected by migraine.[1] Migraines continue to be an important public health problem across Europe. Despite recent treatment advances, people with migraine must follow fragmented treatment pathways.[2]
As a result, it remains an important health-related spending driver, costing the European economy an estimated €55 billion annually in direct and indirect health care costs, in addition to impacting patient lives.[3]
The European Brain Council recently announced Rethinking migraines in the age of COVID-19 The report details the challenges of care pathways and outlines specific policy actions to address them.[4] These calls for change support the European Migraine Association’s call for a comprehensive European Migraine Action Plan to close gaps in care, reduce the burden of disease and deliver timely treatment. It reflects the sentiment of the wider migraine community, including Eli Lilly & Company. , optimal care accessible to all.
with particular emphasis 5 key areascan be changed to:
- Increase public understanding and awareness of migraine
According to a report from the European Brain Council, The lack of understanding of migraine among the general public is a long-standing problem in Europe.Four This has a negative impact, as over 60% of people diagnosed with migraine try to hide the true impact of migraine from others.[5] Nearly 70% of people never see a doctor about their symptoms.Four,[6] This delay in seeking help disproportionately affects women, who are three to four times more likely to experience migraines than men.[7]
Raising public awareness of the severity of migraine and its impact on the individual, organizational and societal level will contextualize the true burden of migraine and create a sustainable and economical way to benefit all. solutions can be identified.
- Strengthening migraine education for all healthcare workers
Headache disorders, including migraine, are the second leading cause of disability in Europe, yet physician awareness of migraine diagnosis and management remains low.[8] Non-specialists only receive an average of 4 hours of migraine-specific training in medical school.Four This lack of adequate training leads to delayed diagnosis and impedes the entire migraine healthcare service model.
Improving education and knowledge about migraine among all health professionals (primary care physicians and specialists) could help make appropriate care more accessible.
- Implement efficient pathways of care to respond to patient needs in a timely manner
People with migraines often face long and frustrating wait times to receive an accurate diagnosis.[9] Recent findings from Lilly’s OVERCOME (EU) study show that nearly half (42%) of the 20,000 migraine patients across Europe did not receive a formal diagnosis by a physician prior to participating in the study. I did.[10] Even those lucky enough to receive a formal diagnosis face other obstacles along the care paradigm.
Better organization of efficient and personalized care pathways can help improve the quality of life for people suffering from migraine, resulting in improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.[11]
- Ensuring adequate funding and access to innovative therapies
Many patients undergo multiple treatments over time. Some of them were not originally designed to treat migraines.[12] Despite the availability of new treatments developed specifically to treat migraines, many people do not have access to these drugs.[13]
Given the significant potential of new drugs to improve patient outcomes, it is important to coordinate health-related decision-making to ensure that innovations are quickly and uniformly accessed by patients who can benefit from them. is.13
- Improve work-related outcomes in people with migraines
The impact of migraine disability peaks during an individual’s working life.[14] This condition has a significant impact on work productivity and absenteeism.[15] In fact, an estimated 77-93% of all migraine-related costs are attributable to reduced or lost work productivity.[16]
Improving work environments and encouraging more ‘migraine-friendly’ workplaces could significantly reduce the impact and overhead costs of migraine on people’s ability to work.Four
The migraine community calls on European policy makers to take action now to prioritize migraine and build structured care pathways and services supported by training and education. increase.Four
