Physicians' Knowledge, Training, and Practices in the Treatment of ADHD / Sheila L. Macrine and Judith G. Chapman.

This report discusses the results of two studies that investigated the level and form of training in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among physicians. In the first study, 100 medical schools and 150 residency programs were surveyed nation-wide. Response rates were 62% for medical school and 67% for residency programs. Some training in ADHD is evident; however, differences emerged in hours and format of instruction, with residency programs providing more training opportunities than medical schools. A second study assessed the knowledge, training, and practices of primary care physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD among 250 primary care physicians in a large, northeastern, tri-state area. A 38% response rate obtained from the initial survey and a follow-up survey sent to non-respondents yielded a 51% response rate. There appears to be considerable general knowledge of ADHD with the majority of respondents being self-taught (76.4%). Whereas fewer than 85% of respondents felt personally qualified to diagnose and provide initial and follow-up medication for ADHD, 93% of the initial sample do prescribe mediations. (Contains 45 references.) (Author/CR)

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