MultiHub Forum

I'm a third-year medical student currently on my neurology rotation, and I'm struggling to build a systematic, efficient approach to the headache differential diagnosis, especially for patients presenting with what seems like a common migraine but could have more serious underlying causes. I understand the red flags from textbooks, but in a busy clinic, I find it challenging to quickly organize the history and exam findings to confidently distinguish between, say, a tension-type headache, a cluster headache, and the early signs of something like a temporal arteritis. For residents or practicing physicians, what mental framework or checklist do you use at the bedside to ensure you don't miss critical details? How do you prioritize your questions and physical exam maneuvers when time is limited, and are there any specific, subtle findings in the history or exam that you've found to be disproportionately valuable in steering your differential one way or another?