Diagnosis and management of headache disorders in osteopathic practice: A qualitative study

Background

Recurring headache disorders are prevalent conditions that have a substantial impact on both individuals’ daily lives and national health systems. Despite being a treatable condition, they remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. Currently, there is little qualitative research that has explored practitioner experiences of diagnosing and managing these disorders.

Objective

The aim of this study is to provide novel insight into osteopathic practitioners' qualitative experiences of diagnosing and managing primary headache disorders.

Methods

Ten osteopathic clinicians participated in individual semi-structured interviews. These were transcribed and then underwent qualitative thematic analysis.

Results

Thematic analysis of the data found five key themes: History Taking, Osteopathic Assessment, Diagnosis, Management and Interprofessional Care, with further sub-themes emerging.

Discussion

Participants primarily use history taking and osteopathic examination to develop a diagnosis and management plan. However, due to the multifactorial nature of headache disorders, an accurate diagnosis was reported to be difficult to achieve. Additionally, participants outlined numerous treatment interventions and other health professionals they work with to optimise patient outcomes. Lastly, patient compliance and lack of resources were challenges that practitioners commonly described, with more research and resources being specified as ways to overcome these challenges.

Conclusion

Many themes form the basis of the osteopathic diagnosis and management of primary headache disorders. The challenges faced by osteopaths in this clinical area can underpin further research to improve clinician experiences and patient outcomes alike.