MRI headache
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparing current methods for management of patients with chronic headache: (1) referral from General Practitioners (GPs) to Neurology Services with (2) direct access from GPs to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
IRAS ID
163140
Contact name
Tiago Rua
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 1 months, 0 days
Research summary
Headache is the most common symptom reported in the community, affecting more than 90% of the population at some point in their lifetime (Silberstein and Lipton, 1993). Nearly half of sufferers report it affects work, home or social activities (Boardman et al., 2003). Most people self-manage, but over 4% of adults consult their General Practitioner (GP) with complaints of headache each year (Latinovic et al., 2006). In summary, despite the low level of referrals to secondary care (as most patients tend to be managed within primary care), the absolute number of headache episodes (due to its high prevalence) makes headache the most frequently listed reason for visits to the neurologist. Also, due to the paucity of resources within the secondary care, this study aims to evaluate two existing clinical pathways in terms of clinical outcomes, efficiency and patient satisfaction.
The present study is single centre non-randomised, non-blinded, prospective observational study to evaluate 1) direct access from General Practitioners (GPs) to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and 2) referral to Neurology for the management of patients with chronic headache. It is important to highlight that no change to current clinical practice is considered as this prospective study is only aiming at evaluating two existing clinical pathways at GSTT.
The main aim of the study is to evaluate whether direct access from General Practitioners (GPs) to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for patients with chronic headache decreases overall NHS costs compared to clinical practice without direct access to MRI from Primary Care. Secondary outcomes also include clinical outcomes (e.g. disease severity), patient satisfaction and cost-effectiveness associated with both clinical pathways.
For the purposes of the study, all patients will be followed-up for a period of 12 months following the initial referral to secondary care (either to the Imaging or the Neurology Departments).
REC name
West of Scotland REC 4
REC reference
16/WS/0028
Date of REC Opinion
9 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion