Table 4.
Contact and referral patterns
| All participants (n = 54) | Introduction program (n = 25) | Main program (n = 29) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proportion of consultations related to headache | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) |
| ● 1–10% | 13 (24%) | 10 (40%) | 3 (10%) |
| ● 11–20% | 29 (54%) | 7 (28%) | 22 (76%) |
| ● 21–30% | 8 (15%) | 5 (20%) | 3 (10%) |
| ● 31–40% | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| ● > 40% | 4 (7%) | 3 (12%) | 1 (3%) |
| ● None | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Primary care | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) |
| ● Contact from primary care for professional advice on headachea | 2.37 (1.29) | 1.89 (0.96) | 2.86 (1.36) |
| ● Collaboration with primary care for referred headache patientsb | 2.63 (0.79) | 2.60 (0.77) | 2.66 (0.83) |
| Proportion of headache patients referred to tertiary/specialist care | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) |
| ● 1–10% | 9 (17%) | 4 (16%) | 5 (17%) |
| ● 11–20% | 35 (65%) | 14 (56%) | 21 (72%) |
| ● 21–30% | 7 (13%) | 5 (20%) | 2 (7%) |
| ● 31–40% | 1 (2%) | 1 (4%) | 0 (0%) |
| ● > 40% | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) |
| ● Never | 1 (2%) | 1 (4%) | 0 (0%) |
| Most common reason for referring to tertiary/specialist carec | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) |
| • Diagnostic uncertainty | 20 (37%) | 11 (44%) | 9 (31%) |
| • Suspicion of serious underlying cause | 2 (4%) | 2 (8%) | 0 (0%) |
| • Lack of treatment efficacy | 32 (59%) | 11 (44%) | 21 (72%) |
| • Desire/expectation of the patient | 11 (20%) | 5 (20%) | 6 (21%) |
| •Other | 8 (15%) | 5 (20%) | 3 (10%) |
| Wait time for referral to tertiary/specialist care | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) |
| ● Short | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| ● Acceptable | 16 (30%) | 11 (44%) | 5 (17%) |
| ● Long | 21 (39%) | 8 (32%) | 13 (45%) |
| ● Unacceptably long | 8 (15%) | 2 (8%) | 6 (21%) |
| ● Do not know | 9 (17%) | 4 (16%) | 5 (21%) |
| Helpful for patients to be referred to tertiary/specialist cared | Mean (SD) 2.33 (0.74) | Mean (SD) 2.00 (0.76) | Mean (SD) 2.62 (0.74) |
aScale from 1–5; 1: never, 5: very frequently. bScale from 1–5; 1: none/very bad, 5: very good. cParticipants could choose up to two answers. dScale from 1–5; 1: not at all, 5: to a great extent. 10 (19%) responded they did not know