Medical Sciences
Examining Regulatory Classifications and Social Determinants of Health in Telehealth-Mediated ADHD Prescription Fulfillment Barriers
By Yunshu Yang, Weijian Qin, Wenyu Zhang and 1 others.
Abstract
Background
Telehealth has expanded remote access to ADHD care, yet a prescription issued remotely must still be filled at a pharmacy—and whether telehealth resolves these downstream fulfillment barriers remains unclear. Federal regulatory distinctions between Schedule II controlled stimulants and non-controlled ADHD pharmacotherapies create structurally divergent procurement experiences, particularly under ongoing nationwide stimulant shortages. This study examined whether prescription fulfillment difficulty differs by medication regulatory classification among adults using telehealth for ADHD care, and identified social determinants of health (SDOH) associated with access difficulty.
Methods
Data were drawn from Round 2 of the NCHS Rapid Surveys System (RSS-2; October–November 2023). The analytic sample comprised 141 adults with a current ADHD diagnosis who reported pharmacotherapy use and telehealth utilization for ADHD care, classified as controlled-exposed (n = 95) or non-controlled-exposed (n = 46) by medication regulatory class. Chi-square tests, multivariable logistic regression, and five machine learning algorithms were applied across 19 SDOH variables.