TOP 63 - Assessing Access: Characteristics of Families Attending the Get Ready and Engaged in ADHD Treatment (GetReady) Program Virtually and In-Person

Publication Number: 3794.TOP 63

Michael D. Gaffney, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Jason M. Fogler, LEND/ICI/Div Dev Med @ Boston Children's Hospital, Brookline, MA, United States; Gabriela V. Miller, Boston Children's Hospital, Brookline, MA, United States; Jennifer A.. Mautone, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Sebastien Normand, Universite du Quebec en Outaouais, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Jenelle D. Nissley-Tsiopinis, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Thomas Power, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Background: ADHD is a common disorder, but many families do not access evidence-based treatments despite recommendations Furthermore, disparities based on family demographic characteristics (e.g., race, public vs. private insurance) exist for access to and utilization of mental health interventions. Some studies show increased access and utilization with a virtual format, but others show mixed results or a significant drop in engagement or quality. Parent behavior training (PBT) is an evidence-based treatment for ADHD particularly recommended for preschool and school-aged children, but access remains a concern. Get Ready and Engaged in ADHD Treatment (GetReady), previously known as Bootcamp for ADHD, provides four sessions of psychoeducation and support to caregivers of school-aged children with ADHD, with initial studies demonstrating high caregiver satisfaction and improved caregiver empowerment to seek evidence-based therapies, including PBT. GetReady ran in-person at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) from 2015 to 2020, then completely virtually from 2020 to present. The transition to telehealth delivery was done with careful consideration of key process and content fidelity aspects of the program. No examination of how the change to virtual care has affected outcomes or access has been completed.

Objective: Aim 1: describe the characteristics of families attending virtual and in-person GetReady. Aim 2: examine whether the switch to virtual changed attendance of GetReady. Aim 2a examines whether the switch had greater effect on GetReady attendance in certain families (e.g., medical comorbidities, sociodemographics, distance from clinic).

Design/Methods: This study is a quasi-experimental retrospective analysis of EMR data of 164 in-person and 195 virtual GetReady participants. Inclusion criteria are all families of school-aged children (5 – 12 years old) who took part in GetReady at BCH between 2015-2024; exclusion criteria were: non-English speakers or significant comorbidities requiring a higher level of care such as suicidality or severe autism. Primary predictor will be format of GetReady delivery (virtual or in-person). Primary outcome will be GetReady session attendance; covariates of interest include baseline family characteristics, including sociodemographics, medical history, and distance from clinic. Chi-square, ANOVA, and t-test analyses will be used to compare family characteristics; logistic regression will be used to compare attendance.