Attention%20deficit_hyperactivity%20disorder Patient Education

Patient Education

Parent/Caregiver and Patient Education

Provide information about ADHD
- Identify and eliminate the trigger factors that cause inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity
- Provide information about the disorder, common features, neurologic mechanisms and associated conditions
- Discuss the expected clinical course and intervention strategies including risks and benefits
- Review how it can affect behavior, learning, social skills, confidence and family life
- Inform parent/caregiver about other ways of learning management skills through support groups, advocacy groups and parenting skills training

Parent/caregiver is encouraged to:
- Spend at least 10-15 minutes with child
- Assure child that he or she is not the problem but his or her behavior
- Have clear, concise household rules with use of reward and punishment
- Limit to giving 1-2 clear instructions at a time and child should be able to repeat instructions back
- Allow child to experience consequences of actions as consistent and predictable
- Give appropriate disciplinary measures for challenging behavior
- Have consistent schedules and structure in the child’s everyday activities
- Have a private, quiet place for homework or projects
- Allow the child to have choices
- Use of time-out to contain child's emotional dysregulation
- Discuss any concerns that they may have on themselves (particularly if parent/caregiver has ADHD) and on the child

Parent skills training
- May be done through reading books and individual counseling, or in formal classes

Family therapy
- May be advised for families with extremely disruptive children or presence of significant family pathology thought to be related to the child’s presenting problem

For child, tailor ADHD education to age, gender and educational level
- Include discussion of the child’s strengths and attributes
A referral to a child psychiatrist or ADHD specialist may be needed if there is at least moderate impairment with the child’s persisting behavioral problems
If a child with ADHD has a coexisting condition, the parent/caregiver should encourage relevant healthcare professional to provide treatment plan and feedback

School Personnel Education

Do not assume teacher has knowledge of ADHD
Provide information relevant to teacher/school about how ADHD may affect the child in the classroom
- Should include intervention strategies and environmental modifications for dealing with behavior issues

School personnel is encouraged to:
- Have an orderly and predictable classroom
- Have clear and concise rules
- Have classroom strategies eg written notices for homework, schedules
- Have very interesting multi-sensory learning activities
- Use of positive reinforcements for good behavior
- Establish parent-teacher communication
- Inform parents regarding programs on parent education and training
- Help students with self-monitoring, self-reinforcement and development of compensatory/adaptive strategies
- Provide feedback to the child and his/her parent/caregiver and physicians

Long COVID: What we have learned so far

Prof. Ghassan Dbaibo, 27 Apr 2023

The WHO defines long COVID as a condition that occurs 3 months from COVID-19 onset, whose symptoms last ≥2 months and cannot be attributed to an alternative diagnosis. In an interview with MIMS Doctor, Professor Ghassan Dbaibo of the Center for Infectious Diseases, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, describes the evolving attitudes towards long COVID among healthcare professionals (HCPs), some unexpected predisposing factors, potential biological mechanisms behind prolonged symptom duration and shares data on vaccination’s protective effects against long COVID.

NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022

16 Mar 2023

Viatris, a global healthcare company, collaborated with the Thai Hypertension Society and the Thai NCD Collaboration Group to organize the NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022 in Bangkok on October 29^th and 30^th. This summit brought together nearly 300 multidisciplinary experts from Southeast Asia and India to address the unmet needs in managing two critical noncommunicable diseases (NCDs): cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and mental health disorders (MHDs) in the region.

The summit had several key objectives. Firstly, it highlighted the effectiveness of clinical data in addressing gaps and unmet needs in clinical practice. Secondly, it emphasized the importance of sharing expertise and best practices through a platform that can optimize patient care. Additionally, it discussed the challenges of cardiovascular disease and mental health disorder care in a post COVID-19 world, and the need to re-examine them.

The summit also offered valuable insights into policy and practice changes, as well as innovative digital solutions that can lead to better outcomes. Lastly, it emphasized the significance of gaining a deeper understanding of the gaps in the patient journey to enhance patient care further.

Overall, the NCDs in Focus Act Now! Summit 2022 was a highly informative and productive event, with experts collaborating to improve the management of CVDs and MHDs in Southeast Asia and India.