9. Establish emergency protocols for your patients who need help outside office hours. Migraines don’t respect evenings, weekends, holidays, or vacations. If you or a colleague can’t be available for patients after hours, establish treatment protocols with area emergency rooms and/or urgent care facilities to treat your patients who need assistance. Then give every patient information on how to handle after-hours emergencies.

10. Encourage each patient to work with you as a treatment partner. Outline options and make decisions with your patients rather than for them. It’s only natural for patients to work harder on a regimen when they have a hand in developing it. You and the patient will both be more successful.


It seemed only fair to ask some Migraine specialists what resolutions they would make. I contacted a few and have their resolutions to share with you:

1. “I resolve to miss fewer secondary causes of migraines and headaches (particularly endocrine underpinnings) in 2007.” from Dr. John Claude Krusz, Dallas. (Secondary causes are other conditions that cause or affect headaches and Migraines.)

2. “As a doctor I always resolve to remember why I became a doctor....because I like to help people to improve their quality of life, to feel better. How can I do that? Inventing a cure would be great but since I am a clinician I hope to hear my patients and their needs better, hope to be the best advocate I can be for them....and always keep trying.” Dr. Merle Diamond, Chicago.

3. “Personally I haven't made any formal resolutions-perhaps an informal
resolution as a Migraineur is avoiding stress from unnecessary
overcommitment as much as possible. Woody Allen once said that 90% of
life is just showing up. So perhaps to avoid the activities where they're
not really essential and you're just showing up.” Dr. Randy Evans, Houston.

4. Dr. Fred Sheftell in Stamford, Connecticut, offered resolutions for doctors and patients:

a. Time for yourself
b. Exercise
c. Regulate sleep
d. Maintain headache and Migraine calendars
e. More play at work and less play at work :-)
f. Patience

Patients – Maybe one of our resolutions should be to work as treatment partners with our doctors, and if our doctors don’t work that way, find a new doctor.

Doctors – I hope this gives you an idea of the patient perspective and helps you work with us as treatment partners.

Happy 2007 to all!

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• Do you have another resolution for Migraine specialists? Leave a comment below or post it on the Migraine Forums!