Guidance for medical examiners when assessing a patient for either a general topic or condition – Headache (including Migraine).
Aeromedical implications
Effect of aviation on condition
- Fatigue
- Operational stresses
Effect of condition on aviation
- Overt incapacitation
- rapid onset without warning
- neurological deficits
- pain
- vomiting
- Subtle incapacitation
- aura
- neurological deficit
- Distraction due to treatment and symptoms.
Effect of treatment on aviation
- Side-effects including sedation
Approach to medical certification
Based on the condition: any of the following
- Photophobia and/or photopsia
- Phonophobia
- Dysphasia
- Other sensory features
- Other motor features
- Disabling pain
- Vomiting
- Rate of onset less than 30 mins
Based on treatment
- Manage effectively with preventative treatment
- Absence of side-effects
Demonstrated stability
- Absence of symptoms for 3 months AND
- Stabilised on any preventative medication for that period
Risk assessment protocol - information required
New cases
- A report about your headaches/migraines from your Treating Doctor (General Practitioner or Neurologist) with respect to:
- Confirmed diagnosis
- Clinical status
- history of condition
- symptoms, including any visual or neurological symptoms
- rapidity of onset, frequency and severity of attacks
- precipitants
- any history of hospital assessment
- progress
- Investigations conducted – attach reports
- Management
- treatment and effectiveness
- side-effects
- monitoring
- Proposed monitoring and follow-up plan
- a completed Form 421 – Headache Report
Renewal
- A report about your headaches from your medical practitioner or neurologist with respect to:
- Confirmed diagnosis
- Clinical status
- history of condition
- symptoms, including any visual or neurological symptoms
- rapidity of onset, frequency and severity of attacks
- precipitants
- any history of hospital assessment
- prognosis
- Investigations conducted – attach reports
- Management including treatment and effectiveness, side–effects, monitoring and follow–up plan
- A completed Form 421 Headache Report