CME endorsement criteria for ADHD specific activities

Educational principles (ADHD context)

Relevance and coherence

• Activities must align with the NZ ADHD Clinical Principles Framework (2025) and/or the AADPA Guideline.
• Clear learning outcomes related to ADHD assessment, diagnosis, and management across the lifespan.
• Training should reflect multimodal care (pharmacological, psychological, social and educational support).
• Content must acknowledge ADHD as a lifespan neurodevelopmental condition, including comorbidities (e.g. anxiety, substance use).

Cultural safety and health equity

• CME must explicitly address ADHD inequities for Māori, Pacific, and other minoritised populations.
• Activities should reflect te ao Māori worldviews in assessment and care.
• Providers must demonstrate how content embeds Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations and reduces inequity in ADHD access, diagnosis and treatment.

Future focused

• Activities must include discussion of service gaps and future directions in ADHD care in Aotearoa.
• Where appropriate, highlight emerging models of care and system-level approaches to improve access.

Educational value

Content must be:

• Evidence-informed (AADPA 2022, NICE 2018, RANZCP 2023, NZ Clinical Principles 2025)
• Relevant to New Zealand primary care and adaptable to local needs (e.g. rural access, equity for Māori.
• Developed in collaboration with ADHD experts, lived experience representatives, and multidisciplinary clinicians (psychiatry, psychology, paediatrics, general practice)
• Clear about diagnostic standards (DSM/ICD) and use of validated assessment tools (e.g. ASRS, Conners’, SNAP scales).

Ethical standards

• Activities must provide balanced coverage of therapeutic options, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.
• No promotion of unproven, controversial, or commercially biased ADHD treatments.
• Any mention of stimulant prescribing must include reference to NZ Pharmac access rules, Medsafe guidance, and HealthPathways information.
• All commercial relationships, sponsorship, or potential conflicts of interest must be transparently declared.

Delivery

• Course materials must clearly indicate:
  • ADHD endorsement status.
  • Domains of competence covered (e.g. assessment, treatment, cultural safety).
  • Anticipated learning hours and CME credits
  • Explicit alignment with the NZ Clinical Principles Framework.
    
• Delivery should be interactive and include case-based learning reflecting:
  • Children/young people, adults, and whānau contexts.
  • Cultural safety scenarios (e.g. ADHD assessment in Māori Tamariki).
    
• Reflection and application to practice must be built in (e.g. structured debrief, practice change planning).

Evaluation

• Structured evaluation must measure whether participants:
  • Increased competence in ADHD diagnosis/management.
  • Understood cultural safety obligations and equity issues.
  • Identified planned changes to practice.
    
• Providers must gather anonymised feedback and submit a summary to RNZ