Patient-Doctor Communication in Migraine: Results from the OVERCOME (Japan) 2nd Study

Despite the availability of effective treatments, some patients with migraine in Japan do not receive appropriate medical management and treatment for migraine, potentially due to the lack of effective patient-doctor communication. This analysis of the ObserVational survey of the Epidemiology, tReatment, and Care Of MigrainE (OVERCOME [Japan)] 2nd study described the current state and challenges of patient-doctor communication in migraine treatment in Japan.

This analysis included adults with migraine who consulted doctors for headaches/migraine and reported details of their first consultation: their experiences with doctors regarding migraine diagnosis and treatments, migraine-related topics, and treatment goals discussed, and challenges in communication.

Among the 6762 included respondents, 55.1% (3729/6762) consulted a general practitioner (GP) first for headaches. Of the 3192 respondents diagnosed with migraine and reported the diagnosing doctor's specialty (as GP, specialist, or non-headache specialist), specialists (64.0%; 2044/3192), followed by GPs (31.4%; 1001/3192), mostly commonly diagnosed migraine. In the first consultation, doctors told 48.0% (3249/6762) of respondents they had migraine. In the past year, 3854 respondents discussed migraine-related topics with doctors; most commonly, the use and effectiveness of prescription drugs, and headache symptoms, severity, and frequency [48.9% (1885/3854) to 67.8% (2612/3854)]. Specialists most commonly discussed migraine-related topics with respondents, but non-headache specialists, i.e., obstetricians and gynecologists, most commonly discussed menstrual-related migraine. A total of 1978 respondents had migraine-related topics they wanted to but could not discuss with doctors in the past year. Among them, 32.9% (651/1978) of respondents did not discuss the topics because the doctor did not ask. Although 96.6% (3724/3854) of respondents had treatment goals in mind, 36.0% (1388/3854) never discussed it with doctors.

Open and considerate patient-doctor communication and appropriate medical judgment are needed for timely and adequate medical management of migraine. Training doctors in effective communication techniques and considering a migraine diagnosis during consultations may be associated with better patient outcomes.