Addressing the Treatment Gap for Pediatric Headache in Underserved Regions

This review explores innovative strategies to address the treatment gap for pediatric headache disorders in underserved regions worldwide.

Global Burden of Disease studies indicate that the fastest growth in pediatric headache burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries, where reported prevalence likely underestimates true disease burden due to healthcare access barriers. Telemedicine demonstrates comparable efficacy, safety, and satisfaction to in person care. Artificial intelligence based diagnostic models achieve high accuracy for pediatric migraine identification. School-based interventions leveraging existing educational infrastructure improve headache knowledge and coping behaviors. Task shifting and integrated care delivery models are increasingly recognized as essential components of sustainable care. Telemedicine, artificial intelligence, school-based interventions, task shifting, and integrated care networks represent scalable solutions for extending headache care to underserved pediatric populations. Realizing their potential requires integrating technological innovation with workforce capacity building, community engagement, and policy advocacy.