Educational collaboratives offer a promising approach to disseminate educational resources and provide faculty development to advance residents' training, especially in areas of novel curricular ...content; however, their impact has not been clearly described. Advocacy training is a recently mandated requirement of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education that many programs struggle to meet.The authors describe the formation (in 2007) and impact (from 2008 to 2010) of 13 California pediatric residency programs working in an educational collaboration ("the Collaborative") to improve advocacy training. The Collaborative defined an overarching mission, assessed the needs of the programs, and mapped their strengths. The infrastructure required to build the collaboration among programs included a social networking site, frequent conference calls, and face-to-face semiannual meetings. An evaluation of the Collaborative's activities showed that programs demonstrated increased uptake of curricular components and an increase in advocacy activities. The themes extracted from semistructured interviews of lead faculty at each program revealed that the Collaborative (1) reduced faculty isolation, increased motivation, and strengthened faculty academic development, (2) enhanced identification of curricular areas of weakness and provided curricular development from new resources, (3) helped to address barriers of limited resident time and program resources, and (4) sustained the Collaborative's impact even after formal funding of the program had ceased through curricular enhancement, the need for further resources, and a shared desire to expand the collaborative network.
Physicians treating attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have long had the clinical impression that these children suffer disproportionately from voiding dysfunction and incontinence. ...However, no data exist to confirm this suspicion. In an attempt to investigate this clinical finding, we administered a survey asking about any functional bladder symptoms to a group of children with ADHD and a control group without ADHD.
The Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Survey (DVSS) was administered to a group of children being treated for rigorously diagnosed ADHD and a control group without ADHD. The DVSS consists of 10 questions that assess daytime incontinence, nocturnal enuresis, constipation, urgency, voiding frequency and dysuria, each scored from 0 to 4 (0—never, 1—almost never, 2—less than half the time, 3—about half the time, 4—almost every time) for a maximum total score of 40 (severest symptoms). Scores for patients and controls were compared for each question and in aggregate. Boys and girls underwent separate statistical analysis. An additional eleventh question assesses recent stressful events within the family.
The patient group included 23 boys and 5 girls, and the control group 10 boys and 12 girls. Children with ADHD of both sexes had statistically significant higher overall DVSS scores. Boys had significant differences on several questions. Due to the small number of girls, there were no statistically significant differences on individual questions.
Children with ADHD have significantly higher rates of incontinence, constipation, urgency, infrequent voiding, nocturnal enuresis and dysuria than those without ADHD. Further study is needed to discern the cause of this difference and develop appropriate treatment strategies.
Objectives
To evaluate the efficacy of several drug delivery patterns of methylphenidate and to determine whether acute tolerance develops to this widely used stimulant medication in the treatment of ...children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Methods
Double‐blind trials were conducted in a laboratory school setting in which multiple measures of efficacy were obtained frequently in the morning and afternoon across the school day. In study I, relative efficacy was determined for three dosing patterns of methylphenidate: a standard twice‐daily profile, a flat profile, and an ascending profile. In study II, tolerance was assessed by comparison of three‐times‐a‐day regimens in which the time of the middle dose varied.
Results
In study I, the efficacy of the ascending treatment increased across the day, and in the afternoon it was equal to the efficacy of the twice‐daily treatment, indicating that an initial bolus was not required for efficacy. The efficacy of the flat treatment declined across the day, and in the afternoon it was significantly less than in the twice‐daily treatment, suggesting that tolerance may be developing. In study II, acute improvements in efficacy were reduced to the second of two closely spaced but not to two widely spaced bolus doses, suggesting that shortly after exposure to high concentrations, efficacy is reduced to given concentrations of methylphenidate. In a concentration–effect model, a tolerance term was needed to account for counterclockwise hysteresis.
Conclusions
Acute tolerance to methylphenidate appears to exist. This should be considered in the design of an optimal dosing regimen for the treatment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1999) 66, 295–305; doi:
This study examines the prevalence and characteristics of services reported by school staff for 543 high school students participating in the 8-year follow-up of the multi-site Multimodal Treatment ...study of ADHD (MTA). Overall, 51.6 % of students with a history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were receiving services through an individualized educational plan (IEP) or a 504 plan, a rate higher than expected for this age group. Less than 5 % of these had 504 plans; 35.5 % attended special education classes. Very few services (except tutoring) were provided outside of an IEP or 504 plan. Almost all students with services received some type of academic intervention, whereas only half received any behavioral support or learning strategy. Less than one-fourth of interventions appear to be evidence based. Students receiving services showed greater academic and behavioral needs than those not receiving services. Services varied based upon type of school, with the greatest number of interventions provided to students attending schools that only serve those with disabilities. Original MTA treatment randomization was unrelated to services, but cumulative stimulant medication and greater severity predicted more service receipt. Results highlight a need for accommodations with greater evidence of efficacy and for increased services for students who develop academic difficulties in high school.
Objective: To review and provide details about the primary and secondary findings from the Multimodal Treatment study of ADHD (MTA) published during the past decade as three sets of articles. Method: ...In the second of a two part article, we provide additional background and detail required by the complexity of the MTA to address confusion and controversy about the findings outlined in part I (the Executive Summary). Results: We present details about the gold standard used to produce scientific evidence, the randomized clinical trial (RCT), which we applied to evaluate the long-term effects of two well-established unimodal treatments, Medication Management (MedMGT) and behavior therapy (Beh), the multimodal combination (Comb), and treatment “as usual” in the community (CC). For each of the first three assessment points defined by RCT methods and included in intent-to-treat analyses, we discuss our definition of evidence from the MTA, interpretation of the serial presentations of findings at each assessment point with a different definition of long-term varying from weeks to years, and qualification of the interim conclusions about long-term effects of treatments for ADHD based on many exploratory analyses described in additional published articles. Conclusions: Using a question and answer format, we discuss the possible clinical relevance of the MTA and present some practical suggestions based on current knowledge and uncertainties facing families, clinicians, and investigators regarding the long-term use of stimulant medication and behavioral therapy in the treatment of children with ADHD. (J. of Att. Dis. 2008; 12(1) 15-43)
To evaluate the pharmacodynamic effects of an experimental (EXP) delivery of methylphenidate (MPH) in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and to investigate the situational nature ...of effects in laboratory classroom and playground settings.
A "sipping" study methodology was used to deliver a bolus followed by small but increasing MPH doses as the EXP regimen. A randomized, double-blind crossover design was used to compare the EXP regimen to a thrice-daily (TID) regimen and a placebo (PLA) regimen. Measures of efficacy were obtained from a Motionlogger actigraph to quantify activity and from the Swanson, Kotkin, Agler, M-Flynn, and Pelham (SKAMP) rating scale to quantify two domains of behavior (attention and deportment).
Compared with PLA, both EXP and TID delivery of MPH produced large, significant reductions in activity and inappropriate behavior in the classroom, but the two MPH regimens did not differ in onset or duration of effects across the day. The MPH effects were situationally dependent and were smaller for the playground than for the classroom settings.
The findings of this "proof of concept" study support the efficacy of a continuous, ascending delivery of MPH. The situational effects of MPH provide support for the theory of selective effects of stimulants, dependent on the demands of the environment.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common mental health condition that affects children, adolescents, and adults. Because it is a chronic condition and typically requires effective ...treatment for several years or more, information on the benefits and risks of long-term pharmacotherapy for ADHD is vital to clinicians. This article reviews the emerging literature on the safety of long-term stimulant medications in ADHD-the most commonly prescribed medications for this condition. Common side effects, including cardiovascular effects, growth effects, and tics, are discussed, as well as treatment of children younger than age 6 and evidence of carcinogenic and reproductive effects.
The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics of immediate-release methylphenidate (MPH) in preschool and school-aged children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
...Preschool children 4-5 years (n = 14) and school-aged children 6-8 years (n = 9) with diagnoses of ADHD were titrated to an effective dose of MPH based on parent, teacher, and clinician ratings in a protocol specified by the Preschoolers with ADHD Treatment Study (PATS) and then attended a laboratory school where the single morning dose of immediate release MPH was administered. Blood samples for measurement of MPH concentrations were obtained predose, and at 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours postdose. A nonlinear model was used to derive three pharmacokinetic (PK) values for analysis: Peak plasma concentration (C(max)), half-life (t(1/2)), and clearance (CL).
The two groups did not differ in the mean mg dose of MPH (p = 0.33), or in the weight-adjusted mg/kg dose (p = 0.20). Dose-normalized C(max) was significantly higher (p = 0.003), and clearance was significantly slower (p = 0.0002) in preschool than in school-aged children.
In this sample, age significantly affected absorption and metabolism of MPH, so that preschool children had greater exposure than school-aged children to the same weight-adjusted dose. These data suggest additional studies should be performed to characterize age-related differences in PK properties of MPH that may inform practitioners about dosing strategies based on the age and size of children being treated.
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