Headache – Case Study – Intermediate

Description

This five-week course delves into headache diagnosis and management. You’ll learn to distinguish between primary and secondary headaches, grasp the clinical features of various types, and develop patient evaluation and diagnostic reasoning skills. Through lectures, discussions, case studies, and practical exercises, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills to assess and manage headaches in clinical settings. By the course end, you’ll identify headache types, understand their causes and treatment plans.

Learning Outcomes:

• Differentiate between primary and secondary headaches.
• Grasp the clinical features of various headache types (tension, migraine, cluster).
• Develop skills for patient evaluation and diagnostic reasoning.
• Conduct a thorough clinical evaluation for headache patients.
• Propose appropriate treatment plans for different headaches.

Course Schedule:

Week 1: Introduction to Headaches

• Objectives: Understand basic concepts of headaches and differentiate between primary and secondary types.
• Activities:
  • Lecture/Discussion: Overview of different headache types, prevalence, and impact.
  • Group Activity: Share personal headache experiences (optional).
• Homework: Interview 3 family members/friends about their headache experiences. Record their age, headache frequency, and perceived causes.

Week 2: Deep Dive into Headaches

• Objectives: Gain in-depth knowledge about primary and secondary headaches.
• Activities:
  • Lecture/Discussion: Characteristics, triggers, symptoms, and treatments for primary headaches (tension, migraine, cluster).
  • Lecture/Discussion: Causes, symptoms, signs, diagnosis, and management of common secondary headaches (e.g., meningitis, pseudotumor cerebri, temporal arteritis).
• Homework: Select 2 individuals from Week 1 homework and delve deeper into their medical history related to headaches.

Week 3: Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis

• Objectives: Learn to conduct a thorough clinical evaluation for headache patients.
• Activities:
  • Lecture/Discussion: Techniques for clinical evaluation, including history taking, physical/neurological exams, and using imaging/laboratory tests.
  • Reading Assignment: Articles on effective clinical evaluation techniques for accurate headache diagnosis.
• Homework: Research and identify the signs, countersigns, and non-signs of three headache diagnoses assigned by the instructor.

Week 4: Guest Lecture and Research

• Objectives: Interact with a medical school professor, learn about the medical school experience, and refine clinical reasoning skills.
• Activities:
  • Guest Lecture: US medical school professor discusses their experiences and the PBL (Problem-Based Learning) approach.
  • Case Studies: Apply knowledge to real-world scenarios through case studies (provided by instructor).
• Homework: Find a research paper published after 2015 on headache management or diagnosis.

Week 5: Case Presentations and Reflection

• Objectives: Present case studies and reflect on learnings throughout the course.
• Activities:
  • Presentations: Students present their developed case studies to the class.
  • Reflection Paper: Write a brief reflection on key learnings and their application to future healthcare professions.

Grading:

• Participation & In-class Activities: 20%
• Writing Assignments & Homework: 30%
• Peer Reviews & Feedback: 20%
• Final Case Study: 20%
• Presentation: 10%

Required Materials:

• Access to academic databases for research.
• Note-taking supplies for in-class activities.
• Computer for writing assignments and research.

Weekly Assignments for Headache – Case Study

Week 1: Introduction to Headaches

• Homework: Interview 3 family members or friends about their headache experiences. Record the following information for each person:
  • Name (optional, can be anonymized)
  • Age
  • Frequency of headaches
  • Description of the headaches (if possible)
  • Perceived causes of their headaches (if known)

Week 2: Deep Dive into Headaches

• Based on your Week 1 interviews, select 2 individuals.
• For each selected individual, delve deeper into their medical history related to headaches. This may involve asking them additional questions such as:
  • When and where do the headaches typically occur?
  • How long do the headaches usually last?
  • Are there any associated symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity)?
  • Do any triggers seem to worsen the headaches (e.g., stress, certain foods)?
  • Have they ever consulted a doctor about their headaches? If so, what was the diagnosis (if known)?
• Analyze the information you gathered from both individuals. Consider any limitations or challenges you encountered during the interviews.

Week 3: Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis

• The instructor will provide a sample case study for a patient experiencing headaches.
• Based on the information provided in the case study, develop a treatment plan for the patient.
• Your treatment plan should consider the patient’s medical history, the characteristics of their headaches, and any relevant diagnostic tests.

Week 4: Guest Lecture and Research

• Find a research paper published after 2015 that focuses on headache management or diagnosis.
  • The instructor may provide a list of credible resources to assist you in finding suitable research.
• Be prepared to discuss the key findings of the research paper in class.

Week 5: Case Presentations and Reflection

• This week focuses on finalizing and presenting your case studies.
  • The instructor will provide further details on the format and expectations for the presentations.
• In addition to the presentation, you will also need to write a brief reflection paper.
  • The reflection paper should discuss your key takeaways from the course and how you can apply this knowledge to your future healthcare career.