Quality of Headache Management in Inpatients

Purpose: Headache is a prevalent and highly disabling neurological disorder. There are no data on its prevalence in and impact on hospitalized patients. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of headache in hospitalized patients, triggers associated with headaches in this population, and compliance with documentation in the electronic medical record system (EMRS).

Design: This was a prospective, descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study. Inpatients who agreed were included.

Methods: Demographic data, admission-related data, and headache data were collected. Data were obtained from the EMRS and direct interviews with patients. Data were collected at three time points in 2021 and 2022. Statistical analysis, comprising primary and secondary data analysis, was performed with R.

Results: Of the 403 admitted patients, 65.5% (264 of 403) participated. A total of 39% (103 of 264) had presented with headache during their hospitalization, of whom 48.5% (50 of 103) had experienced headache in the preceding 24 hours. Of these, 35.9% (37 of 103) identified stress and 26.2% (27 of 103) identified noise as the most frequent triggers and 24.3% (25 of 103) identified headache as a secondary symptom derived from the cause of admission. During the daily follow-up by the nurse, 95.5% (252 of 264) of patients indicated that they had been asked about pain in general and 11.4% (30 of 264) indicated that they had been asked specifically about headache. No records were obtained from the computer program because although some patients were asked about headache, answers were not recorded in the prespecified "headache" item in the EMRS.

Conclusions: Headache is a prevalent symptom in hospitalized patients. Health care professionals should ask, register, and care about headache routinely to improve patients' well-being.