Healthcare provider perspectives on diagnosing and treating adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Objective: This study examined adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) screening and management patterns among healthcare provider (HCP) subgroups. Methods: An online survey of US-based HCPs (neurologists, n = 200; nurse practitioners [NPs], n = 100; psychiatrists, n = 201; primary care physicians [PCPs], n = 201) was conducted from May to June 2017. The survey assessed issues relating to adult ADHD screening and management and HCP perceptions of factors influencing patient choice of pharmacotherapy. Participants were required to be experienced in diagnosing and/or treating ADHD in adults (≥5 patients/month for neurologists and NPs; ≥10 patients/month for psychiatrists and PCPs). Results: Significantly greater percentages of psychiatrists than non-psychiatrists were confident in diagnosing ADHD (P < 0.001) and screened/evaluated for ADHD in patients with depression/anxiety disorders (P < 0.001). Significantly greater percentages of psychiatrists versus non-psychiatrists prescribed once-daily long-acting (LA) stimulants (71.6% vs 62.2%; P = 0.023) or short-acting (SA) stimulants more than once daily (40.3% vs 29.7%; P = 0.009) as first-line therapy. In contrast, a significantly greater percentage of non-psychiatrists than psychiatrists prescribed once-daily SA stimulants (32.9% vs 17.4%; P < 0.001). Psychiatrist and non-psychiatrist HCPs viewed insurance coverage/treatment costs (79.9%), perceived duration of effect (72.2%), and side effects (66.5%) as important factors to patients when choosing treatment. HCPs reported that the greatest mean ± SD percentages of patients changed their treatment regimen in the past 6 months because of perceptions of insufficient duration of effect (35.4% ± 22.1%) and lack of efficacy (30.3% ± 21.0%). Conclusion: Compared with psychiatrists, non-psychiatrists exhibited less confidence in diagnosing adult ADHD and experienced greater difficulty determining optimal treatment regimens.