BPB Reports

Paper Details

BPB Reports
Vol. 9 No. 4 p.80-88 2026
Report
Pharmacists’ Strategies to Promote Medical Consultation Among Patients With Migraine: Patient Referral Forms and MIBS-4 Assessment
  • Ikumi Ito (Laboratory of Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo Heisei University / i.ito@thu.ac.jp)
Kota Hasumi 1) , Ikumi Ito 2) , Hirotaka Katoh 3) , Masakazu Ishii 1)
1) Laboratory of Physiology and Pathology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo Heisei University , 2) Laboratory of Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo Heisei University , 3) Kuramae Kato Medical Clinic
Received: April 05, 2026;   Accepted: June 30, 2026;   Released: July 24, 2026
Keywords: migraine, MIBS-4, patient referral forms, pharmacist, medical consultation
Abstracts

This study aimed to identify factors influencing medical consultation among patients with migraine and to explore pharmacists’ roles in promoting appropriate care through the use of pharmacist-provided patient referral forms and burden assessment tools. An internet-based survey was conducted among 400 women aged 20–59 years identified as having migraine using a screening tool. Respondents were classified into the doctor-visited group (those who had visited a medical institution at least once) and the non-doctor-visited group (those who had never visited a medical institution). The doctor-visited group showed significantly higher scores on headache-related burden measures, including the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) and the Migraine Interictal Burden Scale-4 (MIBS-4) (p < 0.05), and a higher prevalence of symptoms such as aura, photophobia, and osmophobia. Although some participants in the non-doctor-visited group had high HIT-6 and MIBS-4 scores, they tended to perceive their headaches as “mild” or “temporary,” suggesting an underestimation of their burden. Approximately 70% of participants in both groups expressed positive attitudes toward patient referral forms, indicating potential usefulness in reducing anxiety regarding medical consultation. Among respondents in the non-doctor-visited group with little interest in patient referral forms, approximately 80% used over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and some had high HIT-6 and MIBS-4 scores. These findings suggest the potential role of burden assessment tools and patient referral forms in supporting patients in considering appropriate medical consultation during pharmacist intervention at the time of OTC medication purchase.