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The Winding Road to Equal Care : Attitudes and Experiences of Prescribing ADHD Medication among Pediatric Psychiatrists: A Qualitative Study

Sjöström, David LU ; Rask, Olof LU ; Welin, Linda ; Petersson, Marie Galbe ; Gustafsson, Peik LU orcid ; Landgren, Kajsa LU orcid and Eberhard, Sophia LU (2023) In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20(1). p.1-13
Abstract

Evidence is lacking on how to understand the reasons for variations, both in prevalence of ADHD and ADHD medication prescribing patterns in children and adolescents, within Region Skåne. These variations are not in line with current national clinical guidelines and seem to have increased over time. This qualitative interview study illuminates pediatric psychiatrists' attitudes toward ADHD and their experiences of prescribing ADHD medication. Eleven pediatric psychiatrists described the complex interplay of variables that they experienced while assessing a child, which had influence on their decision to prescribe medication. Being part of a local unit's culture influenced how ADHD medications were prescribed. They wished that the... (More)

Evidence is lacking on how to understand the reasons for variations, both in prevalence of ADHD and ADHD medication prescribing patterns in children and adolescents, within Region Skåne. These variations are not in line with current national clinical guidelines and seem to have increased over time. This qualitative interview study illuminates pediatric psychiatrists' attitudes toward ADHD and their experiences of prescribing ADHD medication. Eleven pediatric psychiatrists described the complex interplay of variables that they experienced while assessing a child, which had influence on their decision to prescribe medication. Being part of a local unit's culture influenced how ADHD medications were prescribed. They wished that the assessment of the child's symptoms was consistent with guidelines in every unit but noted that such alignment was not implemented. They pointed out that an ADHD diagnosis is dependent on the surrounding's motivation and capacity to adapt to the present state of the child. The participants described how they balanced clinical guidelines with demands from the family, as well as from society at large. Their personal attitudes and clinical experiences towards diagnosing and prescribing medications to children with ADHD influenced their decisions. The study adds information about how attitudes may lead to variation in diagnostics and therapy.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adolescent, Humans, Child, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/epidemiology, Psychiatry, Drug Prescriptions, Central Nervous System Stimulants/therapeutic use
in
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
volume
20
issue
1
article number
221
pages
1 - 13
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85145966557
  • pmid:36612543
ISSN
1660-4601
DOI
10.3390/ijerph20010221
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
da88301e-57ba-4534-a23e-992b29dd808a
date added to LUP
2023-01-12 20:10:03
date last changed
2024-06-25 01:44:36
@article{da88301e-57ba-4534-a23e-992b29dd808a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Evidence is lacking on how to understand the reasons for variations, both in prevalence of ADHD and ADHD medication prescribing patterns in children and adolescents, within Region Skåne. These variations are not in line with current national clinical guidelines and seem to have increased over time. This qualitative interview study illuminates pediatric psychiatrists' attitudes toward ADHD and their experiences of prescribing ADHD medication. Eleven pediatric psychiatrists described the complex interplay of variables that they experienced while assessing a child, which had influence on their decision to prescribe medication. Being part of a local unit's culture influenced how ADHD medications were prescribed. They wished that the assessment of the child's symptoms was consistent with guidelines in every unit but noted that such alignment was not implemented. They pointed out that an ADHD diagnosis is dependent on the surrounding's motivation and capacity to adapt to the present state of the child. The participants described how they balanced clinical guidelines with demands from the family, as well as from society at large. Their personal attitudes and clinical experiences towards diagnosing and prescribing medications to children with ADHD influenced their decisions. The study adds information about how attitudes may lead to variation in diagnostics and therapy.</p>}},
  author       = {{Sjöström, David and Rask, Olof and Welin, Linda and Petersson, Marie Galbe and Gustafsson, Peik and Landgren, Kajsa and Eberhard, Sophia}},
  issn         = {{1660-4601}},
  keywords     = {{Adolescent; Humans; Child; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/epidemiology; Psychiatry; Drug Prescriptions; Central Nervous System Stimulants/therapeutic use}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{1--13}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}},
  title        = {{The Winding Road to Equal Care : Attitudes and Experiences of Prescribing ADHD Medication among Pediatric Psychiatrists: A Qualitative Study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010221}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/ijerph20010221}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}