Internet‐Based Treatment of Headache: Does Telephone Contact Add Anything?

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Abstract
Objective.—To study the contribution of therapist‐initiated telephone contact in the treatment of recurrent headache via the Internet. Background.—Internet‐based cognitive behavioral self‐help is a promising new venue for the treatment of recurrent headache. While cost‐effective, there are indications that this modality may be associated with high dropout rates. Design and Methods.—The role of therapist‐initiated contact was investigated in a randomized controlled trial in which 44 self‐recruited headache sufferers were randomized to either a Web‐based self‐help program with e‐mail support or to a group receiving, in addition, weekly individual telephone calls. An additional 8 control subjects were recruited to receive similar treatment outside of the study. Results.—Dropout rates were 29% in the telephone support group and 35% in the control group, suggesting that the telephone calls did not affect dropout. Results showed significant reductions in headache‐related disability, depression, maladaptive coping strategies, and perceived stress but little to indicate any superior performance in the Internet‐only group and little improvement in the headache index. In short, therapist‐initiated telephone calls did not influence the results. Conclusions.—Internet‐based treatment for headache is not affected by minimal therapist‐initiated telephone contact.