Date Approved
4-26-2022
Graduate Degree Type
Project
Degree Name
Nursing (D.N.P.)
Degree Program
Health Professions
First Advisor
Heather Chappell DNP, FNP-BC
Second Advisor
Karen Burritt PhD, RN, FNP-BC
Academic Year
2021/2022
Abstract
Background and Objectives:
Headache disability is a public health crisis. Further, headaches are the fourth leading cause of emergency department visits in the United States costing headache patients over $10,000 annually versus non-headache peers. Standardized educational interventions and quality headache management have the potential to mitigate healthcare costs.
Methods:
A quality improvement project was implemented to determine if standardized headache educational materials improve patient education and symptom management for headache patients at a large specialty clinic in the Midwest. The educational intervention was a headache diary and a website link for further headache education. A sample of 50 patients and 4 providers were surveyed using a Likert similar rating scale. Demographic statistics were calculated.
Results:
Sixty-six percent of patients reported they did not use a headache diary and 32% of patients desired more education. Further, patients using a headache diary reported lower satisfaction rates with education both overall (4.38) and headache specific (4.31) versus patients who do not use a headache diary who reported higher overall (4.45) and headache specific (4.37) satisfaction rates.
Conclusion:
Patients rated providers highly in terms of overall education and headache specific education. However, one-third of patients requested additional education and two-thirds of patients did not use a headache diary despite 100% of providers reporting headache diaries are an important tool for headache management.
ScholarWorks Citation
Hubner, Julie, "Implementation of Standardized Headache Educational Materials to Improve Patient Education and Quality of Care" (2022). Culminating Experience Projects. 141.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gradprojects/141
