Psychological Interventions for Chronic Headache in Adults (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for: Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Nurses

Course By: Tamara Avery, PsyD

Content By: Perlini, C., Donisi, V., & Del Piccolo, L. (2020). From research to clinical practice: a systematic review of the implementation of psychological interventions for chronic headache in adults. BMC Health Services Research, 20(459), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05172-y

Course Description: Psychological interventions have been effective in the treatment of chronic headache (CH) in adults. Overall, CH has a detrimental influence on patients’ quality of life with a high level of reported distress. The study aimed to depict the current application of psychological interventions for CH into standard care, exploring barriers and facilitators to their implementation. Researchers found that interventions such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and biofeedback (BFB) appeared to be feasible, well-tolerated, and able to effectively impact at least one headache outcome. Analysis of contextual barriers/facilitators and cost-effectiveness should be included in future studies with contents regarding dissemination/implementation of interventions incorporated with professional training of clinicians.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the purpose of the study and the methods related to the implementation of psychological interventions for CH as examined in the article
2. Analyze the data by exploring the statistical tests used in conjunction with the discussed findings
3. Integrate the study limitations with the identified areas of future research

Course Outline:

• Read and understand From research to clinical practice: a systematic review of the implementation of psychological interventions for chronic headache in adults
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Consider the factors related to psychological interventions for CH coupled with the statistical findings from the accompanying article
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the article for clarification regarding published research, treatments, and professional training for CH, or for any missed questions

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics, i.e., gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Reference

FitzGerald, C., Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8

Approvals: