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(Ivanhoe Newswire) ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorders in children, but the guidelines and rating systems designed to help pediatricians correctly identify and treat it are underused. A new program to change that is being developed at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center.
A large part of the problem is that no means exists for systematically exposing physicians to the guidelines and adapting them to their busy practices. said Dr. Jeff Epstein, Ph.D, Director of the Center of ADHD at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital.
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The training program Epstein and his team developed teaches doctors how to implement the American Association of Pediatrics standardized ADHD guidelines. The doctors also learn how to modify office systems to accommodate the guidelines and how to adjust according to feedback from parents and teachers using a rating system.
The researchers report after training doctors in the Cincinnati area, their use of the diagnostic and treatment tools went up from 55 percent and 52 percent respectively to 100 percent. This led to more accurate diagnosis and fewer children being started on medication inappropriately.
Monitoring of medication response took a huge jump from a baseline of nine percent to over 40 percent. There was also a significant reduction of symptoms during the first few months of treatment in the children being systematically monitored.
It appears that as a result of participating, physicians in the community are now better equipped to recommend alternatives to medication such as behavioral therapy and engage families in setting treatment goals and more effectively coordinate care with the childs school, Epstein was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, July 2008
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
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