Telemedicine May Benefit Patients with ADHD
A review of existing literature on the use of telemedicine for ADHD revealed its potential to expand delivery of clinical services to people with ADHD, especially those who live in rural or disadvantaged environments.
September 12, 2019
Telemedicine may benefit people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) and expand the delivery of clinical services, according to research published in the Journal of Attention Disorders1 from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Researchers studied existing literature on ADHD and telemedicine — that is, the distribution of health services and information using technologies such as video conferences and — from PubMed, PsycINFO/OVID, and Medline. They looked for studies published in peer-reviewed journals that had a sample size of at least 20 participants.
11 articles were identified from three studies of telemedicine used in the treatment of ADHD, only one of which included an adult sample. Findings suggested that telemedicine was accessible and particularly useful for ADHD patients in rural or disadvantaged environments. It was also associated with improved ADHD symptoms.
While the number of articles found was small, results suggest that telemedicine could be used to bring assessment and pharmacologic treatment to children with ADHD who wouldn’t have access to expert clinicians otherwise. More research is needed to determine the best use of telemedicine for all elements of health care delivery for children and adults with ADHD.
View Article Sources
1 Spencer, T., Noyes, E., & Biederman, J. “Telemedicine in the Management of ADHD: Literature Review of Telemedicine in ADHD.” Journal of Attention Disorders (Jul. 2019) https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054719859081
