What might the ideal electronic medical record for migraine headache look like?

Electronic medical records (EMRs) have assumed a greater role in clinical practice and have the potential to improve clinical efficiency and documentation, reduce cost, and enhance clinical care. An EMR for migraine should allow customization to include fields important in migraine, such as migraine frequency and severity, weight, blood pressure, and outcome measures, such as the Migraine Disability Assessment. The physical examination should focus on common abnormalities, such as muscle spasm, allodynia, or papilledema, and allow free text to describe uncommon findings. Information from previous notes should be available for inclusion in the current visit, such as diagnoses and the plan from the previous visit. In the future, EMR will work with clinicians to recognize patterns of clinical features and medication responses within individual patients and across patients, assimilate that information with current best practices of evidence-based medicine, and suggest management considerations to improve outcomes.