ER Visit Risks with ADHD Stimulant Use

PHOP Student Aylin Yucel's Presentation Takes First Place in Patient Safety at Kelsey Research Conference

A UH College of Pharmacy graduate student's comparative-risk study of emergency room (ER) visits by patients being treated with long- vs. short-acting stimulants for Attention Deficit Hyperactiviity Disorder (ADHD) won a first place poster presentation award in the Patient Safety category at the 15th Annual Health Services & Outcomes Research Conference Dec. 9 in Houston. 

Aylin Yucel, MBA, MHSA, MS, a Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy doctoral program student, took the top award in the Patient Safety category at the conference sponsored by the Kelsey Research Foundation. Her presentation, titled "Reduction in ER Visits of ADHD Patients: Effect of Long and Short-Acting Stimulants," included an analysis of the risk factors and stimulant interactions were included in the retrospective data analysis. It was coauthored by Jenil Patel, MBBS, MPH, and Mayurika N. Pise, MBBS, MPH, graduate students at The University of Texas School of Public Health. 

The study found insured patients on long-acting stimulants were almost twice as likely to end up in the ER as those on short-acting stimulants. Among uninsured patients, the risk of ER visits for patients on long-acting stimulants was more 14 times greater than those on short-acting stimulants. The authors noted that the increased risk of ER visits among the uninsured may be due to lack of coordinate care to manage ADHD.