Office Visits to Monitor Stimulant Medication Safety and Efficacy: Recommended Care

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018 Jun;57(6):438-439. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2018.02.015.

Abstract

The clinical guidance based on the research article, "Specific Components of Pediatricians' Medication-Related Care Predict Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Improvement," published in the June 2017 issue,1 might be premature. The authors, Epstein et al., suggest that "Physicians do not need to necessarily rely on office visits to monitor medication response and side effects in the week(s) after initially prescribing medication, but instead could use phone calls or email correspondence to check in with the family" (p. 489). However, this advice has the potential to be misinterpreted that phone or email contact is acceptable clinical practice to monitor stimulant medication safety and efficacy, especially during the maintenance phase. It also could be erroneously interpreted that phone or email contact is sufficient for follow-up care for children receiving medication treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for national quality measures.

Publication types

  • Letter
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants* / therapeutic use
  • Child
  • Humans
  • Office Visits*
  • Patient Safety
  • Pediatricians*
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic / standards*
  • Practice Patterns, Physicians' / standards

Substances

  • Central Nervous System Stimulants