Situation

The launch of new treatment guidelines in ADHD presented an opportunity and challenge. The objective was to achieve the widest possible dissemination of positive data, whilst ensuring the guidelines resulted in changes to clinical practice.

Solution

Research shows that online, case-based education achieves long-term improvements in clinical behaviours. They are also highly accessible to the target audience and suitable for wide dissemination.

Under the guidance of the European Interdisciplinary Network for ADHD Quality assurance (EINAQ), which consists of a multidisciplinary group of ADHD experts, we developed an ADHD Medication Pathway, an evidence-based clinical decision tree with the objective of immersing the learner in the clinical decision process surrounding ADHD psychopharmacological management.

The medication pathway is designed to encourage the learner to use a simulated patient to navigate through a series of decision-making steps, gathering additional information and helping with treatment decisions. The pathway provides a customizable and self-paced learning environment with a wealth of reference materials and expert commentary from the EINAQ faculty.

Results

The EINAQ – ADHD Medication Pathway is becoming recognised amongst the ADHD community as an important tool in disseminating the European guidelines and as having clear learning objectives, sound instructional design, a solid evidence base, intuitive navigation and measurable outcomes. It has been shown to be a useful tool not only for self-learning but also as a highly interactive format for clinical workshops.