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To document follow-up care received by children identified with attention def icit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by primary care clinicians (PCCs). We surveye d families of children 4 to 15 years of age who had been diagnosed with ADHD. At an index office visit, parents and clinicians completed questionnaires. Six mon ths after the index visit, parents completed a questionnaire (N = 659 returned s urveys, 68%return rate). The main outcome measure was the number of visits with the patients’PCCs or mental health specialists during the 6 months after the i ndex visit. Children had a median of one visit PCC over a period of 6 months. Ch ildren who had prescriptions for psychotropic medications (78%) did not differ from others in the number of visits. Follow-up visits with the child’s own doc tor were more common when the PCC had completedmental health training. Only 26% of patients saw a mental health specialist. Children who were black, on Medicaid , or with higher levels of internalizing symptoms were more likely to see a ment al health specialist. Children treated for ADHD need more follow-up visits to p ermit adjustment of medication and support continuation of patients in treatment . Systematic quality improvement efforts are warranted.
To document follow-up care received by children identified with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by primary care clinicians (PCCs). We surveye d families of children 4 to 15 years of age who had been diagnosed with ADHD. At an index office The main outcome measure was the number of visits with the patients’ PCs or mental patients. health specialists during the 6 months after the i ndex visit. Children with a median of one visit PCC over a period of 6 months. Children who had prescriptions for psychotropic medications (78%) did not differ from others in the number of visits. Follow-up visits with the child’s own doc tor were more common when the PCC had completedmental health training. Only 26% of patients saw a mental health specialist. Children who were black, on Medicaid, or with higher levels of internalizing symptoms were more likely to see a ment al health specialist. Children treated for ADHD need more follow-up visits to p ermit adjustment of medication and support continuation of patients in treatment. Systematic quality improvement efforts are warranted.