Conference Handouts

Click here to view handouts from 2010 - 2013 conferences. (Under agenda, then archives)

Click here to view past conference highlights.

Presented at the 20th Annual Research Conference

Patterns of Medication Prescribing for Children and Adolescents in the Massachusetts Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems

Download Handouts: 332kb pdf

Session Number: 34 Room: Salon B

Presenting: John Straus; Suzanne Fields

All Authors for this paper: John Straus; Suzanne Fields; Ginny Kula; Loren Schecter; Marolyn Moriarty

Presentation Type: paper presentation

Synopsis: To address concerns about the overuse and underuse of psychotropic medications for children in state custody, a comparative analysis was conducted of medication prescribing for children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems to children not in state custody. Findings demonstrated that children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems were not medicated differently than other children in the Medicaid MCO plan. There were small but statistically significant number of children in the study group that had higher levels of polypharmacy and more instances of prescriptions that were not appropriate for the diagnosis. Implications for managed care will be discussed including the absence of a community standard for the utilization of psychotropic medications in children.

Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Session Time: 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM

Presentation Time: 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM