Study Identifies Trends in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Misuse

Today’s Headlines:

• Study Identifies Trends in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Misuse.
• Join AHRQ’s Safety Program To Help Hospitals Improve CAUTI Rates.
• Gaps in High Blood Pressure Treatment Highlighted in New Statistical Brief.
• Methods Emerge for Evaluating AI Documentation Tools.
• Register for Upcoming Webinars.
• AHRQ Stats: Prevalence of Heart Disease Treatment by Age.  
• New Research and Evidence.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Study Identifies Trends in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Misuse 

Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prescription stimulant misuse is associated with being under age 30, being White, and living in metropolitan areas, according to a new evidence report from AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, developed in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Researchers examined the misuse of ADHD prescription stimulant medications in adults to understand the patterns and trends in misuse and its short- and long-term health consequences. They found that 3.7 percent of young adults, ages 19 to 30, misused ADHD medications in 2023, a decrease from 7.8 percent in 2022. The primary reasons identified for misuse include the following:

• To focus.
• To stay awake.
• To study better.
• To get high or experiment.
• To lose weight.

Adults who misuse prescription stimulants primarily purchase or obtain them from for free from friends or family. Access the evidence report. 

Join AHRQ’s Safety Program To Help Hospitals Improve CAUTI Rates

AHRQ is recruiting adult intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs to participate in a free 9-month program to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates in acute care hospitals. Program participants will learn how to enhance teamwork and communication, gain access to regular benchmarking reports, and receive expert consultation and tools to promote infection prevention procedures and patient safety culture. Participants will also receive free continuing education (CEU/CME) credits.

Register for the first informational recruitment webinars scheduled for August 13 and 28. Space in the program is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The program will begin in February 2026. Visit the website for more details.

Gaps in High Blood Pressure Treatment Highlighted in New Statistical Brief

In 2021–22, 90.5 million adults had diagnosed or treated high blood pressure. A new statistical brief from AHRQ’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey shows that 74.5 percent of adults diagnosed with or treated for high blood pressure received medications, but only 56.5 percent also had related medical visits. Another 18.0 percent received medications but had no visits, and 15.1 percent had no medical treatment at all. The findings suggest potential issues with followup care and access, particularly for nonelderly adults. Explore the statistical brief for insights on treatment patterns by age, income, and insurance status, and learn where gaps in care remain.

Methods Emerge for Evaluating AI Documentation Tools

AI-powered ambient digital scribing (ADS) tools can reduce documentation burdens and give clinicians more time to focus on patient care. Two recent AHRQ-funded studies offer practical methods for evaluating these tools to ensure they’re integrated safely and effectively into clinical workflows.

• A study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association demonstrated the use of simulation testing to compare two ADS tools. Researchers analyzed transcripts from 11 real patient encounters and found that notes generated by one model took significantly longer to edit and contained more errors in text placement and additions—though it had fewer omissions. The findings suggest simulation testing can help clinicians identify which ADS tools best meet their needs. Access the abstract.
• A study in NPJ Digital Medicine introduced a structured framework—SCRIBE (simulation, computational metrics, reviewer assessment, and intelligence evaluation)—for assessing ADS tools. Researchers developed their own ADS tool and tested it on recordings from 40 clinical visits. The framework identified strengths such as clarity and completeness, and flagged challenges including transcription errors, unlikely case scenarios, and possible demographic bias. The authors note that SCRIBE may offer a scalable, resource-conscious way to evaluate ADS tools. Access the article. 

Register for Upcoming Webinars

• August 6, 3:30–5 p.m. ET: AHRQ Academy: Charting the Future of Integrated Behavioral Health: Perspectives from the Field.
• AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CAUTI Informational Webinar:
  • August 13, 2:30–3 p.m. ET.
  • August 28, 1:30–2 p.m. ET.

AHRQ Stats: Prevalence of Heart Disease Treatment by Age 

Adults aged 65 and older were most likely to receive treatment for heart disease in 2022, with 22.8 percent having treatment. Only 6.0 percent of adults aged 45 to 64 and 1.4 percent of those aged 18 to 44 had treatment that year. (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #562, Healthcare Expenditures for Heart Disease among Adults Aged 18 and Older in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2022.) 

New Research and Evidence

• Rapid Evidence Product: Misuse of ADHD Prescription Stimulants in Adults.
• Systematic Review (draft open for comment through August 7): The Performance of Fusion Procedures for Degenerative Disease of the Lumbar Spine.
• Systematic Review (draft open for comment through August 15): Medical Care for Adults With Down Syndrome.
• Systematic Review (draft open for comment through August 29): Primary Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer.
• Systematic Review (draft open for comment through September 2): Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Outcomes for hospitals participating in more- and less-mature ACOs. Chukmaitov A, Harless DW, Muhlestein DB. Am J Manag Care 2025 Jun;31(Spec. No. 6):sp322-36. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Initial real-world pilot of the MedMorph reference architecture: hepatitis C surveillance and research. Michaels M, Botts NE, Hassell S, et al. Appl Clin Inform 2025 Mar;16(2):234-44. Epub 2025 Mar 12. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Building a public-private partnership to confront the emergency department boarding crisis. Michael SS, Bruna S, Sessums LL. Health Aff Sch 2025 Apr;3(4):qxaf014. Epub 2025 Apr 2. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Antibiotic stewardship in the neonatal intensive care unit. Flannery DD, Coggins SA, Medoro AK. J Intensive Care Med 2025 Aug;40(8):862-75. Epub 2024 Jun 5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Economic evaluations of worksite health centers: a systematic review. Jiang H, Schwirtlich T, Beestrum M, et al. J Occup Environ Med 2025 Apr;67(4):229-34. Epub 2024 Dec 10. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Preventing and managing tracheostomy-related emergencies in the radiology suite: best practices for safety and preparedness. Morris LL, Brenner MJ, Williams RL, et al. J Radiol Nurs 2025 Jun;44(2):150-60. Epub 2025 Jun 3. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Guiding Clostridioides difficile infection prevention efforts in a hospital setting with AI. Tang S, Shepard S, Clark R, et al. JAMA Netw Open 2025 Jun 2;8(6):e2515213. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Multicomponent deimplementation strategy to reduce low-value preoperative testing. Antunez AG, Kazemi RJ, Richburg C, et al. JAMA Surg 2025 Mar;160(3):304-11. Access the abstract on PubMed®.