Getting an ADHD diagnosis in Germany involves navigating a comprehensive and sometimes complex medical system. Practitioners show a preference for thorough assessments and reluctance to over-diagnose.
Research suggests virtual mental health care can be as effective as traditional, in-clinic visits, having the potential to increase treatment availability, decrease diagnostic waiting times, and aid in treatment monitoring.
German patients are interested in the convenience and flexibility of digital health solutions. In a 2022 survey, 55% of patients indicated their interest in digitally receiving diagnostic results.
Here are the benefits of remote ADHD testing and strategies to overcome potential hurdles that may arise.
Benefits of remote ADHD testing
1. Access to robust data that supports patient care
Some patients may be unaware of externally manifested symptoms such as fidgeting. Adults who were not diagnosed in childhood may have developed adaptation strategies to manage or mask ADHD symptoms.
In such situations, adding objective measures can provide more context. Combining subjective data with objective data in a remote helps standardize and streamline the ADHD pathway. Evidence shows that clinicians are twice as likely to be able to rule out ADHD sooner, helping to avoid over or under diagnosing, supporting the clinician to make an accurate diagnosis first time.
2. Greater flexibility for bookings and appointments
You have greater control over how, when, and where you assess your patients. ADHD tests can be taken from the comfort of their home at a time that suits them best. This can be particularly beneficial for adults with work or care commitments and for children by limiting the need to miss school.
3. Increase in appointment availability
A recent online survey found that 87% of participants rated how quickly they were able to be evaluated as an important factor when selecting a healthcare provider.
Having the ability to assess in-clinic and virtually can allow clinicians to treat more patients. Furthermore, this flexibility can help you save time and reduce the administrative burden of late or missed appointments.
4. Overcome geographical challenges
Remote ADHD evaluations can help limit challenges associated with geographical disparities in access to care. You can assess patients from rural locations with the required licensure, where previously, access to care may have been an issue.
According to research, QbCheck is comparable to testing in-clinic and discriminated well between patients with ADHD and controls, with a sensitivity of 83 and a specificity of 80.
5. Measuring treatment effect with confidence
A huge advantage to objective testing is the ability to evaluate medication effects. With retests, you get direct comparisons to ADHD symptoms before and after patients start treatment. This provides you with insights to develop tailored treatment plans for your patients and monitor their effectiveness over time, ensuring everyone gets personalized and effective care.
Our technology captures 86% of patient’s treatment effects compared with only 37% of patient’s improvement captured by the ASRS rating scale. Research reported that using QbCheck during the decision-making and medication titration process allows clinicians to optimize each patient on medication that would balance their ADHD symptoms at the lowest effective dose.
Overcome perceived challenges with remote ADHD testing
Is testing patients for ADHD reliable in a home setting?
Yes – research has confirmed the high validity of home testing with QbCheck. Reliability ranged from 0.82 to 0.90, and has good test-retest reliability, and concurrent and convergent validity.
How easy is it to implement remote testing in my ADHD assessment pathway?
We provide you with comprehensive onboarding, training, and clinical support with report interpretation. When you integrate QbCheck, you can place it at an early stage of the pathway to gather objective information before clinical interviews and rating scales, as well as with retests later in the process to monitor treatment effects.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence published in MIB318 that QbTest saves clinician time and NHS money when used as part of ADHD assessments – with no loss of accuracy.