PO-81 | Knowledge and misconceptions on headache disorders among healthcare workers: preliminary results from the Studio Emicrania Maugeri Study

Luca Giani, Christian Lunetta | Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Neurological Rehabilitation Unit of Milano Institute, Milan, Italy

Background: Adequate knowledge among healthcare professionals is essential for early diagnosis and effective management of headache disorders. However, training on headache disorders during medical and nursing education is often insufficient.

Methods: The Studio Emicrania Maugeri (SEM) is an observational study designed to assess knowledge, awareness, prevalence, and characteristics of migraine among healthcare workers. Maugeri is a healthcare organization in Italy with 25 clinical sites distributed nationwide. All 4050 employees, including a range of healthcare professionals, were invited to participate via a web questionnaire exploring: a) exposure to formal education on headaches during academic training; b) basic knowledge of headache disorders and migraine; c) prevalence, clinical features and migraine-related burden. Participation was voluntary and anonymous.

Results: A total of 1518 responses were collected.

• Training gaps:46% of physicians and 81% of nurses reported not receiving formal education on headache disorders during their studies.
• Knowledge distribution:Physicians generally achieved higher scores on 23 knowledge questions, with most scoring 18–22 correct answers. Nurses showed a broader distribution, mainly between 13–19 correct answers.

Correct Answers (out of 23)

Nurses (%)

Physicians (%)

8–13

6.95

0.53

14–17

43.96

18.25

18–19

35.74

34.76

20–23

13.35

46.46

• Key misconceptions among physicians:

• 33% believed instrumental tests are always needed for migraine diagnosis.
• 66% considered cervical spine disorders (“la cervicale”) one of the most frequent causes of headache.
• 14% did not know specific migraine medications.
• 66% incorrectly defined chronic migraine as lasting over one year.
• 33% were unaware that frequent analgesic use can worsen migraine.

Conclusion: These preliminary results highlight significant knowledge gaps and misconceptions about headache disorders among healthcare workers, especially nurses. The lack of formal education during academic training is notable. These findings emphasize the need to strengthen headache education in medical and nursing curricula to improve patient care.