For nearly five years, people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder have had the option of getting their stimulant medications prescribed and renewed by doctors they see only over a computer screen, despite the risks that these stimulant drugs can pose if misused.
But with expiration dates coming up for the telehealth rules that made this possible, a new study offers key evidence about the safety of virtual ADHD care that could inform policymakers.
Published in the journal Health Affairs by a team from the University of Michigan, the study shows people aged 12 to 64 who started getting stimulant medications via telehealth were slightly more likely to develop a substance use disorder (SUD, also sometimes called addiction) within the next year than those who started getting the medications via in-person care. The risk in these two groups was 3.7% versus 3.2%.
Learn more about the study, led by two ORI faculty affiliate members: Dr. Sean McCabe and Dr. Kao-Ping Chua