611 - Elizabeth Hisle-Gorman, MSW PhD

Poster Number: 611
Publication Number: 611.2081

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was a turbulent period with increases in virtual school and decreases in healthcare access. Appropriate identification and treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with better school performance and lower risk for the development of comorbid mental health conditions

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on outpatient ADHD healthcare and medication use.

Design/Methods: A monthly repeated cross-sectional analysis was conducted of military dependents aged 4-18 years. ADHD ICD-10 code and medications identified youth receiving care to calculate monthly rates. Care and prescriptions in pandemic year 1 (3/2020-2/2021), and pandemic year 2 (3/2021-2/2022) were compared to the pre-pandemic period (3/2019- 2/2020). Poisson regression calculated outpatient visit and medication use rates by time period; outcomes were stratified by sex, parent rank, and age. Secondary analysis explored the effect of the percent of virtual schooling in the state of residence.

Results: In a population of 1.6 million included youth a month, healthcare visits and pharmaceutical care for ADHD decreased 12% in pandemic year 1 and 4% in pandemic year 2, as compared to the pre-pandemic period. Medication use decreased in the first (13%) and second (15%) year of the pandemic (Table 1). Decreases in care were most pronounced in children of junior enlisted parents, those of male sex, and younger ages (Table 1, Figure 1). Care and medication use was decreased across all states but was more pronounced in those with higher levels of virtual learning (Table 2).

Conclusion(s): Healthcare medication use for ADHD decreased in the COVID-19 pandemic and remained decreased as youth returned to school. Decreases may be related to virtual learning.