As an important resource for headache care, the AAN publishes quality measures, which were most recently updated in 2019. This single-site study at a large, academic tertiary referral center aimed to apply the AAN measures to its cohort of neurology resident physicians and evaluate adherence changes (primary outcome) as well as utilization of appropriate diagnostic criteria, patient education, and confidence in following AAN guidelines (secondary outcomes).

An increase in adherence was seen in three of the four migraine-related quality measures, with two – utilization of migraine abortive therapies and counseling of modifiable lifestyle and chronification factors – showing significant improvement (p < 0.01). For secondary outcomes, increases in utilization of appropriate diagnostic criteria and patient education were both significant (p < 0.05), and a positive trend in self-assessed confidence rating for adherence to AAN guidelines was significant (p < 0.0001).

This study provided evidence that our QI intervention led to increased adherence to the AAN migraine-related measures. It is anticipated that increased adherence may lead to improved patient outcomes.