Use of "R&R" for Medical Students and Physicians with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Conceptual...

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an increasingly recognized yet under-addressed challenge within the medical profession, affecting medical students and physicians (including residents and faculty). While current literature emphasizes high rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout in these groups, ADHD - despite its persistence into adulthood and its impact on academic, clinical, and interpersonal functioning - receives comparatively less attention. Reported ADHD prevalence among medical students, residents, and practicing physicians varies widely and may be underestimated due to stigma, underreporting, and diagnostic bias. Untreated ADHD can hinder academic performance, impede residency matching, threaten patient care, and worsen mental health. In prior work, we introduced the 5-Minute Video Summary (5MVS), a multisensory, five-minute physician-narrated video that distills a scientific article's key findings while also commenting on strengths and limitations using varied visuals and vocal delivery to support attention and retention. The present manuscript conceptually extends this ADHD-supportive, technology-enabled approach "upstream" to the foundational task the 5MVS depends on: completing the initial reading of scientific literature. We introduce "Record and Read" (R&R), a self-implemented strategy that leverages auditory reinforcement and the production effect. Learners record themselves reading an article aloud, then listen to the recording while following along and highlighting salient points. R&R is intended to reduce procrastination, increase sustained engagement, and improve comprehension for medical students and physicians with ADHD, potentially offering flexibility and independence, though technological access and stamina demands may pose barriers. While we propose R&R as a complementary tool for medical students and physicians with ADHD to promote both engagement with full-text articles and efficient consolidation, this approach has yet to be systematically studied via pilot, acceptability, or feasibility testing - underscoring its need for empirical evaluation.