1. Waiting times for diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents referred to Italian ADHD centers must be reduced
- Author
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Bonati, M., Cartabia, M., Zanetti, M., Conte, S., Renzetti, V., Salvoni, L., Molteni, M., Trabattoni, S., Effedri, P., Fazzi, E., Filippini, E., Pedercini, E., Zanetti, E., Fteita, N., Arisi, D., Mapelli, R., Frassica, S., Oriani, S., Trevisan, C., Acquistapace, S., Martinelli, O., Villani, D., Binaghi, E., Deriu, A., Vasile, G., Borchia, A., Morosini, P., Breviglieri, M., Capovilla, G., Segala, R., Battaini, C., Bissoli, C., Canevini, M. P., Cropanese, I., Fornaro, E., Leonardi, G., Merati, S., Reale, L., Saccani, M., Vaccari, R., Valenti, V., Balottin, U., Chiappedi, M., Vlacos, E., Meraviglia, C., Palmieri, M. G., Ruffoni, G., Rinaldi, F., Soardi, F., Luoni, C., and Rossi, G.
- Subjects
Waiting time ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Waiting Lists ,Epidemiology ,Comorbidity ,Health informatics ,Health administration ,Time-to-Treatment ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,mental disorders ,medicine ,Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ,Children ,Health service ,Italy ,Analysis of Variance ,Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ,Child ,Child, Preschool ,Female ,Humans ,Referral and Consultation ,Registries ,Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Psychiatry ,Preschool ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Nursing research ,Public health ,lcsh:Public aspects of medicine ,lcsh:RA1-1270 ,medicine.disease ,Diagnostic classification ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Research Article - Abstract
Background To investigate timely access to and the time needed to complete the diagnostic path of children and adolescents with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the 18 Italian Lombardy Region ADHD reference centers. Methods Data of children and adolescents enrolled in the Regional ADHD disease-oriented Registry for suspected ADHD who requested their first visit in 2013–2017 were analyzed. Results The sample comprised 2262 children and adolescents aged 5–17 years who accessed the ADHD centers for diagnostic classification and management. The median waiting time was of 177 days (range 66–375) from the request for the initial appointment to the completion of the diagnostic path, with a three - fold difference between centers. In addition to the center, the strongest significant predictors of long waiting times were age comorbidities, the severity of the disorder, and having already completed some diagnostic procedures provided by the common standard path. Conclusions To guarantee an equal standard of care in ADHD centers for all children and adolescents there is a pressing need to reduce the times to complete the diagnostic path. It is the task of both policymakers and each center to optimize the quality of the service and of the care delivered.
- Published
- 2019