TY - JOUR
T1 - Parents report on stimulant-treated children in The Netherlands
T2 - Initiation of treatment and follow-up care
AU - Faber, Adrianne
AU - Kalverdijk, Luuk J.
AU - De Jong-Van Den Berg, Lolkje T.W.
AU - Hugtenburg, Jacqueline G.
AU - Minderaa, Ruud B.
AU - Tobi, Hilde
PY - 2006/8/1
Y1 - 2006/8/1
N2 - Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe current practices around initiation and follow-up care of stimulant treatment among stimulant-treated children in a nationwide survey among parents. Methods: A total of 115 pharmacies detected current stimulant users <16 years old in their pharmacy information system and sent parents a questionnaire regarding their child's stimulant treatment. Results: Parents returned 924 of 1,307 questionnaires (71%). The median age of the stimulant users was 10 years and 85% were boys. In all, 91% were diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In 77% of the cases, the child or parents received other therapies besides stimulants-21% received psychotropic co-medication, with melatonin (11%) and antipsychotics (7%) being mentioned most frequently. Stimulant use was primarily initiated by child psychiatrists (51%) and pediatricians (32%), but most children received repeat prescriptions from general practitioners (61%). Of these 924 children, 19% did not receive any follow-up care, and transfer of prescribing responsibility increased the risk of not receiving follow-up care. The 732 children (79%) who were monitored visited a physician approximately twice a year. During follow-up visits, pediatricians performed physical check ups significantly more often. Conclusion: Stimulant treatment in The Netherlands is initiated mainly by specialists such as child psychiatrists and pediatricians. In the current study, follow-up care for stimulant-treated children in The Netherlands appeared to be poor, suggesting an urgent need for improvement.
AB - Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe current practices around initiation and follow-up care of stimulant treatment among stimulant-treated children in a nationwide survey among parents. Methods: A total of 115 pharmacies detected current stimulant users <16 years old in their pharmacy information system and sent parents a questionnaire regarding their child's stimulant treatment. Results: Parents returned 924 of 1,307 questionnaires (71%). The median age of the stimulant users was 10 years and 85% were boys. In all, 91% were diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In 77% of the cases, the child or parents received other therapies besides stimulants-21% received psychotropic co-medication, with melatonin (11%) and antipsychotics (7%) being mentioned most frequently. Stimulant use was primarily initiated by child psychiatrists (51%) and pediatricians (32%), but most children received repeat prescriptions from general practitioners (61%). Of these 924 children, 19% did not receive any follow-up care, and transfer of prescribing responsibility increased the risk of not receiving follow-up care. The 732 children (79%) who were monitored visited a physician approximately twice a year. During follow-up visits, pediatricians performed physical check ups significantly more often. Conclusion: Stimulant treatment in The Netherlands is initiated mainly by specialists such as child psychiatrists and pediatricians. In the current study, follow-up care for stimulant-treated children in The Netherlands appeared to be poor, suggesting an urgent need for improvement.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33750596648&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2006.16.432
DO - https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2006.16.432
M3 - Article
C2 - 16958568
SN - 1044-5463
VL - 16
SP - 432
EP - 440
JO - Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology
JF - Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology
IS - 4
ER -