Table 1  A Synopsis on SDG 3 targets implementation reducing the burden of headache disorders with a synthesis of main policy actions

Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being

Reducing the burden of primary headaches by reducing chronification, reducing barriers and impact on daily life in a biopsychosocial perspective

1. Developing a pathway of primary headaches healthcare to treat patients according to their specific clinical severity and needs.

2. Defining clinical severity not only with headache frequency.

3. Recognizing lifestyle issues and habits, as well as demographic issues, as elements of interest.

Target 3.5: Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol

Reducing medication overuse in acute management of primary headaches: strategies at primary, secondary, tertiary levels of care in a global perspective

1. Preventing MO through identification of risk factors.

2. Reducing the use of drugs, especially opioids, that might increase the risk of MO.

3. Promoting neurology training in LMIC.

4. Addressing social and cultural factors that determine low access to headache care, including stigma.

Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

Promoting education of health care professionals in the management of primary headaches and defining feasible methodology to support health-care facilities development to deliver comprehensive headache care pathways

1. Plan and implement specific headache training directed to either medical doctors and pharmacists in LMIC, which incorporates:

1.a. Few issues on pathogenesis;

1.b. Extensive information on clinical aspects and differential diagnoses;

1.c. Detailed account of the available pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments that are available and affordable in the single contexts, and lifestyle issues.

Target 3.b: Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all

Defining strategies for access to existing treatments for headaches in low- and middle-income countries and for facilitating the inclusion of these countries in the research and development of new medicines (RCTs or RWS)

1. Improving care and access to preventive treatment through: public education; improved training of primary care physicians; improved training in the residency program for neurology; increased reach of neurologists to the rural areas.

2. Fostering research, particularly through RWS, to identify the performance of different treatment in specific contexts and enable define context-specific recommendations.

Target 3.c: Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States

Defining strategies to develop and implement training and education in low- and middle-income countries to improve the skills of healthcare professionals for management of headaches in primary and secondary care

1. Implement the local headache school by means of a short course formats, which include the training on the use of primary headache clinical diagnostic criteria.

2. Implement or create the local headache group by means of on-site (hospital) training and mentoring.

3. Integrate the “training of the trainers” methodology by collaborating with local academic institutions.

4. Secure support from the Ministries of Health to ensure participation in the training.

5. Train healthcare workers living in the rural setting, to improve recruitment and retention of skilled healthcare providers in rural underserved areas.

Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks

Defining strategies for an inclusive and global alliance against headache disorders among headache healthcare professional working parties to respond to public health unmet needs in headache area

1. Enhance collaboration between scientific and political stakeholders in order to reach the following:

1.a. Increasing research capacity, by facilitating access to funding for those working in LMIC and limiting the price of open-access publications;

1.b. Promoting e-education to increase inclusiveness of all possible healthcare workers;

1.c. Promoting access to meeting and congresses of gender-, age-, and ethnicity-balanced representatives, and promoting patient’s representatives’ participation;

1.d. Increasing the use of telemedicine

1.e. Studying common solutions to allow innovative drugs to be available also in LMICs.