Pharmacy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Pharmacy, including details on drug stores, prescriptions, health care.

Parents report on stimulant-treated children in the Netherlands: initiation of treatment and follow-up care.

Faber A, Kalverdijk LJ, de Jong-van den Berg LT, Hugtenburg JG, Minderaa RB, Tobi H

Department of Social Pharmacy, Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, Groningen University Institute for Drug Exploration, Groningen, The Netherlands. adrianne.faber@chello.nl

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe current practices around initiation and follow-up care of stimulant treatment among stimulant-treated children in a nationwide survey among parents. METHODS: A total of 115 pharmacies detected current stimulant users <16 years old in their pharmacy information system and sent parents a questionnaire regarding their child's stimulant treatment. RESULTS: Parents returned 924 of 1,307 questionnaires (71%). The median age of the stimulant users was 10 years and 85% were boys. In all, 91% were diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In 77% of the cases, the child or parents received other therapies besides stimulants-21% received psychotropic co-medication, with melatonin (11%) and antipsychotics (7%) being mentioned most frequently. Stimulant use was primarily initiated by child psychiatrists (51%) and pediatricians (32%), but most children received repeat prescriptions from general practitioners (61%). Of these 924 children, 19% did not receive any follow-up care, and transfer of prescribing responsibility increased the risk of not receiving follow-up care. The 732 children (79%) who were monitored visited a physician approximately twice a year. During follow-up visits, pediatricians performed physical check ups significantly more often. CONCLUSION: Stimulant treatment in The Netherlands is initiated mainly by specialists such as child psychiatrists and pediatricians. In the current study, follow-up care for stimulant-treated children in The Netherlands appeared to be poor, suggesting an urgent need for improvement.

Published 8 September 2006 in J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol, 16(4): 432-40.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Pharmacy Research Today. All Rights Reserved.