The VA and DoD Evidence-Based Practice Work Group (EBPWG) was established and first chartered in 2004, with a mission to advise the VA/DoD Health Executive Committee “on the use of clinical and epidemiological evidence to improve the health of the population . . .” across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Defense Health Agency (DHA), by facilitating the development of CPGs for the VA and DoD populations. Development and update of VA/DoD CPGs is funded by VA Evidence Based Practice, Office of Quality and Patient Safety. The system-wide goal of evidencebased CPGs is to improve patient health and wellbeing. In July 2020, the VA and DoD published a CPG for The Primary Care Management of Headache (2020 VA/DoD Headache CPG), which was based on evidence reviewed through March 2019. Since the release of that CPG, the evidence base on Headache has expanded. Consequently, the EBPWG initiated the update of the 2020 VA/DoD Headache CPG in 2023. This updated CPG’s use of Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach reflects a more rigorous application of the methodology than previous iterations.(2) Therefore, the strength of some recommendations may have been modified due to the confidence in the quality of the supporting evidence (see Evidence Quality and Recommendation Strength). This CPG provides an evidence-based framework for evaluating and managing care for individuals living with Headache toward improving clinical outcomes.

Successful implementation of this CPG will:

• Assess the patient’s condition and collaborate with the patient, family, and caregivers to determine optimal management of patient care; • Emphasize the use of patient-centered care and shared decision making; • Minimize preventable complications and morbidity; and • Optimize individual health outcomes and quality of life (QoL).