ADHD prescribing change fails to fix assessment bottleneck

Adult ADHD assessments have often involved long wait times.

Research published today highlights that allowing GPs to prescribe ADHD medication isn’t enough.

A February rule change expanded the prescribing of ADHD stimulant medication beyond psychiatrists and paediatricians to GPs and nurse practitioners.

Earlier research estimated that only 60% of Kiwi kids with ADHD are prescribed medication.

The proportion was lower among adults, falling to a third of 18 to 49-year-olds and just 9% of 50 to 70-year-olds.

Allowing more doctors and nurses to prescribe medication for ADHD was intended to reduce bottlenecks and help meet the demand, but a viewpoint article published today in the New Zealand Medical Journal says there has been “limited discussion of the practical requirements”.

The researchers state the clinical framework for ADHD “provides high-level guidance”, but “lacks operational detail”.