ADHD Prescription Patterns and Medication Adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background COVID-19 put students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at risk of disruptions to their medication regimen and school performance, and telehealth appointments became more common during the pandemic. Our study aimed to identify if ADHD medication regimens were disrupted through analyzing prescription refill schedules and if telehealth management demonstrated a higher rate of adherence. Methods Patients between the ages of 8–18 with a history of ADHD for three or more years medically managed with four or more prescription refills between January 2019 and May 2022 were reviewed. A retrospective chart review collected age, sex, race, refill schedule, and appointment schedule. Results The total percentage of patients who had their ADHD medications refilled between January 2019 and March 2020 ranged from 40–66% versus 31–44% between April 2020 and May 2022. Additionally, the total percentage of patients who had quarterly ADHD management appointments between January 2019 and March 2020 ranged between 59–70% versus 33–50% between April 2020 and June 2022. The number of months with ADHD prescription refills over the last three years was significantly higher among those who had both virtual and in-person visits than those who had just in-person visits, p < 0.001. Conclusions Since the start of the pandemic, ADHD patients have both refilled their prescriptions and returned to clinic less frequently. This data suggests a need to re-evaluate the ADHD symptoms of GAP patients periodically and return them to a more consistent medication regimen. Telehealth appointments are a potential solution to increase adherence.