Attitudes and practices in the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among Brazilian pediatric neurologists who responded to a national survey: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has a prevalence of 5.3% among children and adolescents. It is characterized by attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to conduct a survey involving pediatric neurologists in the management of ADHD and compare the results with the current literature and guidelines.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Descriptive analytical study of a virtual environment, was used Test of equality of proportions for comparison between two groups of pediatric neurologists (working as specialists for > 6 versus ≤ 6 years), with a significance level of P = 0.05.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used a virtual questionnaire covering the steps in the diagnosis and treatment of children with ADHD. The inclusion criteria were professionals who had completed their residency/specialization in pediatric neurology and clinical neurologists working in pediatric neurology.

RESULTS

Among the 548 electronic invitations sent, 128 were considered valid. For all participants, the diagnosis was clinically based on the disease classification manuals. Combination treatment promotes improvement of symptoms (96.9%). Among psychostimulants, short-acting methylphenidate was the most commonly prescribed medication (85.2%). Headache was the most common side effect (77.3%). Altogether, 73.4% of the participants requested laboratory tests, 71.1% requested an electrocardiogram, and 42.2% requested an electroencephalogram. Pediatric neurologists working as specialists for ≤ 6 years had more frequent referrals to psycho-pedagogists for diagnosis (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

The participants complied with clinical guidelines, emphasizing the relevance of diagnostic manuals and treatment guidelines for an eminently clinical situation and enabling uniformity in quality treatment.