Online CME activity focuses on diagnosing, managing ADHD

Carla Kemp

Health professionals who want to enhance the care of their patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can take advantage of a new online education activity.

Called “Managing Your Patients with ADHD,” the continuing medical education module is part of the Academy’s Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice (eQIPP). It is designed for general pediatricians, family physicians, developmental and behavorial health specialists, and allied health professionals.

The module guides participants as they:

assess their practice to determine how well they are managing patients with ADHD;
learn how to diagnose, treat and monitor patients using a variety of tools and resources;
develop an action plan to improve ADHD care and evaluate changes implemented in practice; and
assess whether the changes made actually improved patient care and identify other areas for improvement.

This is the second module available on the eQIPP Web site, www.eqipp.org. The first module on asthma was unveiled a year ago, and about 600 health professionals already have enrolled in the program.

Feedback from participants has been extremely positive and was used to fine-tune the ADHD module, which will be available for three years. Participants can complete each of the four units at their own pace. The module includes a mix of online and off-line activities that are scheduled over a nine- to 12-month period. In addition, several health professionals from one practice can team up to work on the module.

In the first unit, Assessing Your Practice, participants are asked to review 10 charts of patients diagnosed with ADHD. They fill out a worksheet for each chart and then enter the data online. The program provides practice-specific baseline information, which health professionals can compare to national standards and other eQIPP users. The data help identify areas where ADHD care can be improved.

The second unit focuses on diagnosing, treating and managing children with ADHD. The content reinforces AAP guidelines and includes tools that can be implemented easily in an office setting.

Participants then develop a specific plan for implementing changes in their practices and carry out the plan using a systematic process.

Finally, participants review 10 more patient charts to determine if the changes they made improved care and to identify additional areas for improvement.

The ADHD module also provides opportunities for subscribers to take part in “live chats” with experts on particular topics as well as seek and share advice on an online message board.

eQIPP is part of PediaLink, the Academy’s online learning system that helps members manage their continuing professional development. Participants who complete an entire eQIPP module will receive 22 hours of AMA PRA category 1 credit. eQIPP also has been recognized by the American Board of Pediatrics as an activity that will satisfy the fourth component of the Maintenance of Certification requirements.

Plans call for one new education module to be added each year. Future topics may include sinusitis/rhinitis/otitis media, gastroenteritis, patient safety and preventive services.

eQIPP has been developed in collaboration with the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality. eQIPP’s program infrastructure is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer Pediatric Health, and the ADHD module is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from McNeil Consumer and Specialty Pharmaceuticals.

For more information, visit www.eqipp.org or e-mail eqipp{at}aap.org.