Background: The care and management of migraine/headache patients in the Republic of Ireland over the last 25 years are summarized in this article.
Methods: Collaboration between voluntary patient organizations (the Migraine Association of Ireland or MAI), primary care services, and hospital/community shared healthcare professionals (most notably the headache specialist nurse), is highlighted as one of the key features of this management strategy in an underfunded and under-resourced public healthcare system.
Conclusion: The migraine/headache community in Ireland is small, but they have been dedicated in their commitment to improving care for their patients for more than 2 decades. As a result, they have been successful in recent years, both nationally and internationally, in terms of financial funding and support for their multidisciplinary and collaborative approach.
Keywords: advocacy; headache; healthcare; migraine; patient support groups.
© 2020 American Headache Society.