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A Study Of Headache In North American Primary Care: Report For The Ambulatory Sentinel Practice Network, L A. Becker, Donald C. Iverson, F M. Read, N Calogne, R S. Miller, W L. Freeman

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Headache is a common symptom in primary care about which surprisingly little is known. Over a 14-month period 3847 patients making 4940 consecutive visits for headache to 38 primary care practices in the USA and Canada were studied. The clinical characteristics of patients, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies employed by their doctors, were examined. Visits for headache represented 1.5% of all visits during this period. Most patients (72.0%) made only one visit, and nearly half of the headaches reported were new. Only a small number of patients (3.0%) received a computerized tomographic scan; other investigations were used …