AHS 2022 | How to effectively incorporate PROMs into migraine clinical practice and trials

Richard Lipton, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, discusses the importance of utilizing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in clinical practice and trials in headache research. With most information concerning migraines stemming from patient-reported outcomes, there is little choice in utilizing PROMs in headache medicine; all the endpoints in clinical trials from the therapeutic and prevention side depend on it. Prof. Lipton further discusses work funded by the MiCOAS project; there is interest in incorporating the patients’ voices into clinical trials. Several rounds of qualitative work were conducted to assess patient priorities – thus, helping identify significant, underappreciated factors in headache care. Cognitive symptoms were one of these factors; many patients experience a deterioration in clear thinking during the different phases of migraine. The existing measures do not currently capture the cognitive burden of migraine. Therefore, when moving from trial to practice, it is important to consider what treatments would be optimal for patients. This interview took place during the 2022 American Headache Society (AHS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver, CO.