Neurology acute care program developed to decrease hospital admissions for pediatric migraine

Pediatric migraine headache diagnosis is increasing. Research has shown migraine headaches to cause a decrease in the quality of life and an increase in disabilities for children. To date there are no known research studies comparing the outcome of treatment in the Emergency Department (ED) vs. an inpatient setting for acute migraine headaches in children. This quantitative descriptive and correlational study compared the frequency of hospital admission after acute migraine treatment in the ED and in the Neurology Acute Care (NAC) program. It also examined the correlation between pain rating after treatment in the NAC program and further hospital admission. A data collection tool was used to audit 114 medical charts from the NAC program and ED. The results from analysis showed that there was no statistical significance in the number of patients admitted to the hospital for migraine treatment after treatment in the NAC program compared to the ED.