Dados do Trabalho

Título

Telemedicine on the treatment of chronic headache: A Systematic Review

Resumo

Introduction: chronic headaches, such as migraines and tension-type headaches, are among the most common disorders in the world, but access to specialists for adequate follow-up is not yet feasible in all locations, especially in rural areas. Telemedicine/teleconsultation is a form of evaluation that can be used for several neurological disorders, including headaches, allowing a greater reach of health care. Objective: our goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of telemedicine/teleconsultation visits in the treatment of chronic headaches compared to a traditional visits. Method: A systematic review of literature, using PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Lilacs, and Scielo databases, yielded 262 articles, of which 9 studies were included for analysis. Results: a total of 1,834 patients were evaluated, mostly involving women and with migraines sufferers. They also included children, adolescents, and adults. Four studies were conducted during the coronavirus pandemic. All studies showed a high patient satisfaction rate with teleconsultation, whether adults or children with their families. It also showed a tendency to reduce the number of headache-days per month, the use of analgesics, as well as the frequency and duration of pain. Conclusion: telemedicine was found to be an effective and viable form of follow-up for patients with chronic headaches.