Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Preventive Health Program Description Program Mission/Goals/Target Population
A. Program Mission:
The mission of the ADHD Preventive Program is to promote parental/family understanding of ADHD, to educate parents/families about the disorder, and to provide assistance and guidance to those enrollees and their families who have been diagnosed with ADHD.
B. Program Goals:
- Educate and inform the parents/family of enrollees about ADHD.
- Improve adherence with treatment, as well as adherence with recommended prescribed medication.
- Improve quality of life and levels of adaptive functioning of the targeted population.
- Provide a source of support to the parents/families of enrollees diagnosed with ADHD.
C. Target Population:
The target population is enrollees less than18 years of age with a diagnosis of ADHD.
As identified in UMBH’s Member Profile, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children 0-17 years of age is a high volume, high-risk diagnosis for UMBH.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. ADHD is also among the most prevalent chronic health conditions affecting school-aged children.”
Program Management
The ADHD Preventive Health Program is under the direction of the Medical Director who obtains assistance from faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. These Individuals provide consultation and guidance in their areas of expertise. The Director of Clinical Operations manages the day to day functioning of the program. The Quality Improvement Director is responsible for mailing the ADHD Help Guide. Member Services, Quality Improvement, Clinical Operations, and MIS staff provide administrative support.
Program Interventions
This secondary prevention program is based on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Practice Guideline: Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which was adopted by the UMBH Clinical Quality Improvement Committee (CQIC) as a means to educate UMBH practitioners. The guideline is distributed to all practitioners.
The AACAP developed educational information for enrollees called Parent Pages. It is easily comprehensible by enrollees and is made available on the UMBH website for all enrollees, with written copies available by request. Through provider and enrollee newsletters, meetings and other communications, practitioners and enrollees are informed of the availability of Parent Pages on a regular basis.
To complement Parent Pages, UMBH has prepared an ADHD Help Guide, which provides information on a full array of community resources to improve adjustment in the community. On a quarterly basis, parents of enrollees who have been diagnosed with ADHD are sent the ADHD Help Guide and the Parent Pages.
The Help Guide:
- Supports the parents/family in their efforts to obtain a professional evaluation in order to determine a diagnosis.
- Provides information to assist the parents/family in obtaining counseling for their family from a mental health professional who is knowledgeable about ADHD.
- Emphasizes that medication needs to be monitored closely in order to determine the most effective plan.
- Supports the parent/family to become their child's advocate so that he/she obtains an appropriate educational program and also the best treatment available.
- Provides information about on line support, newsletters, and local support groups.
In addition to the information that is sent to eligible members, all actively participating practitioners caring for UMBH enrollees who have a diagnosis of ADHD receive copies of the ADHD Help Guide along with a list of their UMBH patients with the diagnosis of ADHD on a quarterly basis. Practitioners are also reminded in this letter that medication compliance is important. The letter references the first-line medications included in the Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Program Assessment and Outcome
The ADHD program was initiated in November 2001.
Feedback is obtained from practitioners and parents/family who receive the program materials through satisfaction surveys. The surveys are used to annually assess the effectiveness and relevancy of the information being provided. The surveys also serve as a means for both parents/family of enrollees and for practitioners to provide suggestions on how to improve the program. |
