P13S07: Migraine (try another triptan)

 

Bottom line: Information on migraine was used to justify the management of the patient (try a different Triptan). It contributed to improve health of the patient.

 

Level 1 outcome (situational relevance): On November 7, 2008, P13 did a search at work, by themselves, and during an encounter with a patient. They retrieved two information hits about Triptans. P13 searched outside the consultation room, and then shared found information with the nurse practitioner and the patient. The reported search objective was: to address a clinical question. “She [the patient, a woman in her forties] had come in with a migraine headache, [and] had been treated previously with two other Triptans, […] as well as Ibuprofen and was still not having any effect. […][The clinical question was] that if the patient failed two other Triptans, might an alternate Triptan be possibly still effective. And the highlight had stated that although the differences are small, they might be clinically relevant to patients. […] So I thought [that] maybe another trial of another Triptan might be effective.” According to P13, e-Therapeutics+ was the only source for information, and the found information was relevant.

 

Level 2 outcome (cognitive impact): The three hits were associated with a report of positive cognitive impact (see table). Regarding learning, P13 stated: “[…] I had felt that it [to try a different Triptan] was an option, that if a person has tried one, it doesn’t mean that they are going to fail every other Triptan. So it sort of confirmed what I thought was true in the first place. […] [But] I would say that there was a couple at least one Triptan that I wasn’t aware of, that was on the list so that was new to me. […] I was reassured I guess because [to change the Triptan] seemed to be the most obvious choice, that there really weren’t any other options that we hadn’t already tried.”

Retrieved information hits:

1) e-Therapeutics+ (CIRT): Therapeutics Tab – Keyword: Migraine – Headache in Adults – Symptomatic treatment Section and Others Section until Prophylactic therapy Section (P13S07H01).

2) e-Therapeutics+ (CIRT): Therapeutics Tab – Keyword: Migraine – Headache in Adults – Printable version of Table 2 (P13S07H02).

3) e-Therapeutics+ (CIRT): Therapeutics Tab – Keyword: Migraine – Headache in Adults – Symptomatic treatment Section – Highlight (P13S07H03)

 

Level 3 outcome (information use): Information on Triptans was retrieved, and used to justify the management of the patient (information used as presented in e-Therapeutics+). “We sort of reviewed the treatment options as listed in the symptomatic treatment options of that section. And now, basically the patient had already tried almost everything from those sections but, because they [the patient] just tried a couple of Triptans, then we agreed on doing a trial of a third Triptan, to see if they [the patient] might have better luck with another one. […] It [the retrieved information] gave us a lot of options so it helped us. It helped to justify the option that we chose based on what she [the patient] tried and failed in the past.”

 

Level 4 outcome (patient health): Regarding patient health, P13 reported that the information contributed to improve health of the patient. “[The patient] called back and left a message to say that it did work to a small degree. [...] She still had a bit of a persisting headache in which she had now been taking some more Ibuprofen. […] I hoped that it would treat her [the patient] to the point where the migraine didn’t get worse, it actually got better. […] Based on her response that it worked somewhat, there seemed to be some improvement.”

 

 

Levels of outcome of information-seeking

 

Situational relevance

Positive cognitive impact

Information use

Patient health

Address a clinical question

Learned something

Reminded something

Confirmed

Reassured

Justify choice

Improve

 

Home