The migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire in the primary-care setting

Migraine is a remarkably disabling condition, although unpredictable and heterogeneous in frequency, duration and severity. It can be difficult to manage in primary care where it is under-recognised, underdiagnosed and undertreated. Proposals have been made that migraine care could be improved by incorporating assessments of migraine impact into management strategies, and measuring headache-related disability can be used to assess the impact of migraine on people's lives and society. The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire was developed from this research. MIDAS is a scientifically reliable and valid measure of migraine disability that can improve communication between patients and physicians, assess migraine severity and act as an outcome measure to monitor treatment efficacy. Perhaps the most important use of MIDAS is as an aid to public health initiatives on headache. MIDAS can be used to screen populations for headache-related disabilities and medical needs and be part of generalised migraine management guidelines in primary care in order to produce an individualised treatment plan for each patient. MIDAS can be used by physicians, pharmacists, nurses and patients. © 2004 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved.