Quality in clinical decision-making in ADHD: A multi-methods study

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Quality in clinical decision-making in ADHD: A multi-methods study

  • IRAS ID

    347970

  • Contact name

    Maddie Groom

  • Contact email

    Maddie.groom@nottingham.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University Of Nottingham

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    000, 000

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 4 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects around 3-5% of children and young people. Symptoms include difficulties with inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. To improve symptoms and reduce long-term difficulties, it is really important to provide early treatment. Once a child/young person starts treatment, clinicians need to check symptoms frequently to make sure the treatment is working well. However, research suggests that this isn’t always done. This may mean that people with ADHD are not receiving the best medication and dose for them. Little is known about how this affects the child or young person and their parents, or what doctors think should be done to help.

    We will explore how different groups experience monitoring of ADHD medication, by interviewing children and young people with ADHD and their parents/carers, as well as healthcare professionals working in ADHD services. This will also help us understand whether clinical guidelines for medication monitoring are currently being followed. We will also plan to identify ways in which digital technology can support this process, providing examples of available technologies where possible. This will be based on the findings from the interviews.

    We want to understand experiences of medication monitoring in different parts of the country. Therefore, we will involve up to 5 clinics from across 2-3 regions. Over 10 months we will interview patients, their families and the clinicians. We will ask them about their experiences of monitoring their ADHD after treatment has been started. We will use this to develop recommendations for how technology might help monitor medication outcomes in ADHD. These recommendations will be shared with clinicians, service managers and commissioners, informing the services that people receive. We will communicate our research to young people with lived experience of ADHD, their parents/carers and ADHD charities.

  • REC name

    Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    24/YH/0223

  • Date of REC Opinion

    12 Dec 2024

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion