Abstract
Objective:To measure the knowledge of healthcare professionals about increasingly prevalent Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) along with perceptions around its management and prognosis and comparison across various specialties.Methods:This Cross sectional survey based comparative analysis took place at Maternity and Children Hospital and King Faisal Hospital Makkah from December 2017 to May 2018. The validated self-administered “Knowledge about childhood autism among health workers” questionnaire was used along with additional questions regarding perceptions about ASD. The mean and mean percent scores were calculated. Chi squared test and ANOVA were applied to find the association between quantitative and qualitative variables respectively.Results:Out of 162 participants, 153 returned the questionnaire and 147 were included in final analysis. Physicians constituted 81.6% (120) of participants. The mean score for participants was 9.80(S.E.M ±0.32) where non-physicians yielded higher mean score (11.2±4.41) as compared to physicians (9.6±3.28) (p=0.113). Psychiatrists had highest score of 16/19 while general physicians had lowest (6/19). Participants with more years of experience had higher mean scores (p-value = 0.01). About 72.10% (106) of participants opted for medication as a treatment option. Nearly 38.1% (56) of participants were skeptical about improvement of ASD with early interventions.Conclusion:There is a lack of knowledge about ASD amongst healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. Experienced professionals working with ASD children can be utilized to deliver targeted trainings nationwide.
Highlights
One in every 68 children are estimated to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making it one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders.[1]
There is no known cure for ASD, but it is established that early intervention and intensive behavioral therapy (BT) is concomitant with a better outcome.[4,5]
Data were collected by convenience sampling using a survey form encompassing demographic details, a validated questionnaire (English) titled Knowledge about Childhood Autism Among Health Workers (KCAHW)[8,9] was used
Summary
One in every 68 children are estimated to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making it one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders.[1]. Various studies around the globe yielded heterogeneous results regarding level of awareness about ASD amongst a variety of health professionals ranging from various specialties of physicians to a variety of non-physicians professionals.[7,8] By increasing the awareness and knowledge about this disorder, prompt referral and early intervention can be result in shorter waiting times increasing chances of a better prognosis.[4,5] the purpose of this survey was to assess knowledge and perceptions about ASD among a variety of HCPs in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and to provide useful suggestions in the light of study outcomes
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