Training your team and ensuring everyone's knowledge is up-to-date are important CPD triggers. We suggest that you get the team together for a training session based on the activities below and discuss the various ways in which you can offer customers and patients added care in this category.

Subject: headache and migraine

This Train Your Team checklist provides support and information to run a team training session on headache and migraine. This content can also be used for your own CPD.

Reflection

• Do we distinguish carefully between the different types of headache in the pharmacy?
• Do we consider lifestyle issues in our discussions with customers suffering from headache?
• Are we on the look-out for medication-associated headache? Do we have the communication skills to discuss this with sensitivity with customers?
• Do we recommend the use of headache diaries?
• Do we know what the NICE guidance says about headache and its treatment? Do we use this guidance in the pharmacy?
• Do we know about complementary approaches for headache?
• Could we manage headache more effectively within the team?

Training checklist

Ensure your support staff understand the following key points:

• The different types of headache, symptoms and triggers
• The incidence of medication overuse headache and the need to look out for this
• The role of headache diaries
• The role of lifestyle and complementary approaches to headache
• When to refer to the pharmacist.

I will ensure that:

• We consider our skills in communication with customers suffering from headache
• Our advice is holistic
• We continue to learn from our customers to help us provide the best information on managing headache
• My pharmacy assistants are able to meet the points in this training checklist.

Practice points

• Is the pharmacy workstation well set up to avoid eye strain? Could you improve it?
• Do you stock any topical products for headache? Do you know enough about them? Do you recommend them and on what occasions?