Often, sufferers bounce from doctor to doctor trying to find a sympathetic practitioner, consensus of diagnosis and a healthcare provider knowledgeable about headache. The physician-patient relationship is of critical importance when managing chronic disease. Through a physicians guidance, the patient can assume responsibility or implement and monitor the therapeutic regimen and make needed changes to gain control over the disease. Researchers have determined that this relationship is the single most important variable associated with compliance. An essential component of the relationship is for the physician to understand how the patient views his or her problem.
Effective communication is the key for both healthcare providers and headache sufferers.
Patients are often reluctant to fully address their health concerns because they fear they are wasting the doctors' time. Frequently, they leave out important details or are embarrassed to share details they feel cast them in an unfavorable light. Often, patients are afraid to ask questions because they feel the inquiry is stupid or they will not understand the physician's response. Although effective communication and reassurance from the physician are important steps in building a good patient-physician partnership, they can go only so far. Specific knowledge of headache diagnosis, causes and treatments are essential to a beneficial and ultimately cost-effective treatment approach.