The NHS has received approval to implement a new digital test aimed at expediting the diagnosis of ADHD in children and young adults, a process that has historically taken several years.
Draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) supports the use of the QbTest by psychiatrists and specialist pediatricians. This computer-based assessment evaluates the primary traits of ADHD: inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
Clinicians can integrate QbTest results with other diagnostic information to confirm or exclude ADHD in young individuals. Nice indicated the test's applicability for diagnosing individuals aged six to seventeen in England and Wales.
Experts have endorsed the introduction of the QbTest, predicting it will enable doctors to diagnose more individuals within six months of their initial assessment.
Estimates using various diagnostic criteria suggest that anywhere between 1% and 9% of school-age children in the UK have ADHD.
