Clinics worldwide are facing growing demand for ADHD services, exposing operational bottlenecks in many clinics including long wait times, overloaded clinicians, or pathways which could be adapted to be more efficient.
Objective testing technology doesn’t just aid in diagnosing and treating ADHD, but also acts as an important, practical solution in helping to identify pathway inefficiencies, improving resource allocation, and streamlining clinical operations.
Here are four ways data-driven, objective ADHD test solutions can help you identify bottlenecks and boost your clinic’s efficiency.
1. Optimizing staff allocation
The current approach for ADHD diagnostic assessment relies heavily on self-reports and clinical observations, putting pressure on your time to obtain, interpret, and integrate information. Subjective data can often be contradicting when used by itself, so there may be varying consistency in delivery of ADHD assessments and diagnosis.
Because of this, the average time from first appointment to diagnosis is highly variable.
The AQUA study found that integrating our medical technology can alleviate these resource pressures by reducing the time spent on lengthy, subjective assessments as well as quickening the time to diagnosis. Clinicians were 44% more likely to reach a diagnostic decision, the consultation time to diagnosis was reduced by 15%, and clinicians were twice as likely to rule out ADHD correctly early in the assessment process.
With this saved time, managers can redistribute tasks or streamline workflows, ensuring clinicians spend less time on lengthy assessments and more time delivering patient-centered care.
2. Improving medication management quicker
Managing ADHD medication can be a complex process, often requiring multiple follow-up visits to titrate and adjust dosages. This can add time to waitlists, especially when clinicians are only relying on subjective reports to gauge a patient’s response to treatment as well as sending out and following up with their completion.
If stimulant ADHD treatment is prescribed, each has different pharmacokinetic profiles that require careful management. QbCheck and QbTest allow you to objectively monitor how well your patient is responding to medication with robust, numerical data.
For example, an objective test can be carried out before and after medication is prescribed to assess the patient’s performance at peak serum concentration. Our objective ADHD tests can generate a re-test report to directly compare your patient’s symptom profile to baseline or compare between dose titration or tapering.
Research on objectively testing patient treatment effects
Sanyal et al (2024) found a significant improvement when measuring baseline compared to post-treatment follow-up in all five parameters of QbCheck, with a significant reduction in the tool’s total symptom score by 42%.
Our technology has been shown by research to be more sensitive to treatment effects following prescription of stimulants when compared to patients self-rating of symptoms on the ASRS.
In one study, 86% of patients demonstrated a treatment effect on the QbTest compared to 37% indicating a treatment effect through self-ratings of symptoms on the ASRS. QbTest can distinguish pharmacological treatment effects within hours of pharmacological titration and can be used for monitoring of long-term treatment of ADHD.
Unmanaged ADHD symptoms can have significant impacts on the individual, their relationships and wider family, and societal cost. Therefore, there is a great need to try and optimize individuals’ medication treatment response to address the symptoms they are experiencing.
3. Reducing missed appointments
Remote testing with QbCheck can significantly reduce missed appointments by offering patients the flexibility of ADHD testing at home. It eliminates the need for in-person clinic visits, which are often a source of scheduling conflicts and missed appointments.
Patients can take the test at their convenience without the challenges of commuting or coordinating clinic visits. You get instant access to results and can deliver timely follow-up care.
4. Effective patient identification
Incorporating objective testing supports standardized care pathways, allowing for greater accuracy in patient diagnosis. This is particularly beneficial for high-volume clinics which need rapid but reliable identification of ADHD presentations.
Using objective testing early in the assessment process helps clinics to identify patients who might need a more comprehensive neuropsychological assessment versus those who might benefit from alternate support paths like behavioral interventions or educational resources.