Study: Doctors Mishandle Headache Patients
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shironosov/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers say doctors are mishandling many patients every year who approach them with headaches.
According to the study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, more than 12 million Americans approach health care professionals each year with headaches, resulting in $30 billion in health care costs. Researchers say that many of those patients receive little to no relief.
Researchers from Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center looked at data on over 9,000 headache patients between 1999 and 2010. They found that physicians commonly ignore practice guidelines, including increased use of CT scans and MRI scans. Between 1999 and 2010, use of those scans — which are widely discouraged — nearly doubled.
Researchers say referrals for headaches have also increased, meaning more costs for patients and insurers.
Fortunately, the study found that there was not a significant increase in use of highly addictive medications, including opioid painkillers and barbituates for headache management.
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