Assessing direct medical costs of children following a new prescription of ADHD medication.

PURPOSE

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent childhood neurobehavioral disorder, imposing significant economic burdens on healthcare and society. This study aimed to examine healthcare resource utilisation and direct medical costs for paediatric ADHD patients in Catalonia, Spain, following their first ADHD treatment prescription.

METHODS

Using real-world data from electronic healthcare records, this longitudinal register-based cohort study included all patients aged 6 to 18 years old who received a new centrally acting sympathomimetic treatment (ATC code N06BA) in the public healthcare system in Catalonia between 2016 and 2017. Healthcare resource utilisation and costs were analysed one year post-prescription, stratified by age (6-11, 12-14 and 15-18) and sex, for 3,507 patients.

RESULTS

Primary care (PC) physicians and nurses were the most utilised healthcare resources averaging about two and one visits per year, respectively. Costs peaked in the 11-14 age group, except for mental health hospitalisation costs, which were higher in other age groups; conversely, the adolescent group (15-18) had the lowest expenditure. ADHD patients showed high healthcare resource utilisation and costs within a year following the initial treatment prescription.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies should explore the broader economic impact of ADHD, including costs within educational and social systems.