REVIEWThe Impact of Migraine and the Effect of Migraine Treatment on Workplace Productivity in the United States and Suggestions for Future Research
Section snippets
METHODS
A search of MEDLINE (January 1, 1990 to July 31, 2008) was conducted to identify articles that assessed the impact of migraine on work productivity in the United States. The following keywords were combined to identify appropriate citations: migraine disorders OR migrain$ AND absenteeism, productivity, presenteeism, task performance and analysis, sick leave, efficiency, workplace, occupational health, employment, efficiency, organizational, disability, work, economics, cost and cost analysis,
RESULTS
More than 1600 titles and abstracts were reviewed. Twenty-six studies published in 24 manuscripts met all inclusion criteria.5, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 Studies were grouped by the type of results reported, including burden of migraine, effect of prophylaxis, placebo-controlled studies of the effect of episodic migraine treatment, and pretest and posttest studies of episodic migraine treatment. Pretest and posttest studies were
DISCUSSION
Studies have shown that migraineurs experience lower quality of life than the general population40, 41, 42 and that attack frequency is inversely related to quality-of-life scores.42 Studies have also shown that effective treatment of migraine has a positive impact on health-related quality of life.13, 14, 19, 23, 26 Other studies have described the cost-effectiveness of migraine treatment.43, 44 Several of the publications that met the inclusion criteria for this review of workplace
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESEARCHERS
The following are 9 recommendations for future research studies with the objective of measuring the burden of migraine and/or the impact of interventions on worker productivity.
First, estimates of the impact of migraine on worker productivity for a population should include a method for identifying individuals with undiagnosed migraine. Studies have estimated that approximately one-quarter of migraineurs have not had their condition diagnosed.1, 12 One method for identifying individuals with
CONCLUSION
Migraine has a substantial negative impact on worker productivity. Both health care professionals and employers are stakeholders in providing effective treatment that can reduce that impact in most migraineurs. Employers have an opportunity to reduce the economic impact of migraine on worker productivity by implementing effective disease management programs. Such programs should include patient education on lifestyle changes that may affect the frequency and duration of migraine and, when
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge Ron C. Kessler, PhD, for his contribution to the design of this study.
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GlaxoSmithKline provided funding to Relevant Health Outcomes, Inc, for conduct of the research and development of the submitted manuscript.
This article is freely available on publication because the authors have chosen the immediate access option.
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Dr Burton has served on an advisory board and received research support from Merck & Co and has received honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. Dr Landy has served on speakers' bureaus for GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co, and Cephalon; has served on advisory boards for GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co, Pfizer, Cephalon, and Allergan; and has received research support from GlaxoSmithKline. Ms Downs has received support from GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Runken is an employee of GlaxoSmithKline.