Effectiveness of Patient Education and Cognitive Behavioural Treatment as a Non-Pharmacological Intervention for Migraine in Adults – a Systematic Review

Abstract

To evaluate the content of patient education and cognitive behavioural therapy and its effectiveness in the prevention of migraine for adults, a systematic search was conducted in the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. RCTs published in the past 10 years in German or English, reporting on any form of patient education or cognitive behavioural therapy for adult migraineurs, were included. Two reviewers independently searched and evaluated search results. The methodological quality of selected studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool 2.0 independently by two reviewers. Data on content and effectiveness were extracted in a predesigned table. Across 1059 records, 14 studies were eligible, including 2266 participants (82,7% females). Contents of patient education included explanations on the link between thoughts and feelings, information on lifestyle influences on headaches, relaxation techniques and stress management, advice on diet and the benefit of physical activity. In addition, patient education focussed on the pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria of migraine, triggering factors and effective acute or prophylactic drug use. Outcome measures included headache frequency, medication intake, function and disability, as well as psychosocial status. Education reduced migraine frequency and improved quality of life. Effect sizes were small, and contents were heterogeneous. Educational and behavioural approaches can positively influence headache frequency. However, the content, duration and frequency and education formats varied widely. The level of evidence for education and cognitive behavioural therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention for migraine is still low. The protocol for the systematic review was registered in the database PROSPERO (PROSPERO 2019 CRD42019134463) prior to the data collection.