Headache in all its forms represents the commonest neurological condition experienced by children and young people. Reduction in quality of life can be significant but many patients fail to get adequate help for this problem.
This unit will equip you with the knowledge you need to navigate your way between the many primary and secondary headache types, and show you how to manage them effectively. You will learn about the neurobiology of headaches, how you can classify them using clinical assessment, and when and how to investigate them further. You will focus on different types of common primary and secondary headaches such as migraine, tension-type headache, chronic daily headache, shunt-related headache and idiopathic intracranial hypertension. There is material on how to frame discussion with patients and their families, followed by a section on how to treat and prevent headaches. Finally, use the ‘headache clinic’ section to test out and reinforce what you have learned.
COURSE CONTENT
Unit 12 Headache
By the end of this section you will be able to discriminate between primary and secondary headache, and know how to make a primary headache diagnosis.
By the end of this section you will understand how modern neurophysiological and neuroimaging techniques can be applied to the study of the primary headache disorders. You will see how correlation of data from these techniques with clinical data informs our knowledge of the primary headache disorders, and how they are primarily disorders of neural signalling.
By the end of this section you will be able to plan your intervention for any child with a headache with confidence. You will have addressed the structure and information content of the consultation, and you will have a more informed choice of pharmacological interventions both for rescue and prophylactic therapy, along with an understanding of the place for complementary therapies.
By this point in the unit you will have accessed widely used resources to help you differentiate between secondary and primary headaches. In this section on primary headache disorders you will build on what you have learned about headache pathophysiology and interventions.
Now that you have learnt about the primary headache disorders of childhood, in this section we will look at some of the secondary causes of headaches in children. This list is not exhaustive but covers common themes.
By the end of this section you will feel confident to apply your knowledge of headache gained from all the previous sections in the clinic setting.
COURSE DELIVERY
The course is accessed via a dedicated website. On acceptance of your application, we will provide you with a username and password to access the website.
Each Unit is split into smaller Sections (see Course Content for details). For each section, you will download a zip file containing an Activity document and reference papers.
The Activity document leads you through each section, providing work-based activities for you to complete. You may choose to work through the Activity document on your computer or print off the materials so that you can work on a hard copy.
Each activity is designed to lead you through the topic. Sometimes an activity will ask you to read a paper and then answer questions. Other times it will ask you to consider a case. A Commentary follows each activity, to check your learning. For most units there are also a number of lectures to watch.
You will have access to the unit for 3-years from the date of enrolment. We would hope that you will work through it at a rate that is right for you, maintaining a balance between momentum and enjoyment..
CERTIFICATION
As you complete the Activity document for each section, send it by email to the BPNA. Once it has been reviewed, we will provide a certificate of Continuing Professional Development. You can download this from your BPNA personal account.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Consultant and trainee:
- Paediatric Neurologists
- Paediatricians
ENROL
This unit is included in Bundle 2 (save 40%) High income countries. Click here to see how you could save
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