Knowledge, attitudes, and understanding of probiotics among pediatricians in different regions of Saudi Arabia

Mansour Qurashi,Muhanad Alzahrani,Mohammed Hasosah,Abdullah Balkhair,Muhammad Khan,Ziyad Alzahrani,Wejdan Alnahdi,Sohaib Shafei,Malak Bafaqih,Abdullah Alabbasi

doi:10.1186/s12909-021-02499-w

Abstract

BackgroundProbiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit upon the host. Knowledge and attitudes of health professionals have been reported to be at a medium level for probiotics. The objective was to evaluate the knowledge and practice styles about probiotics among pediatricians working in different regions of Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted at pediatric hospitals in Saudi Arabia. A national survey of 550 pediatric providers (PPs) was conducted between January and March 2020 anonymously on their knowledge and practice styles regarding probiotics, and it was completed by pediatric residents (PRs), pediatric specialist (PSs), pediatric consultants (PCs), and pediatric gastroenterologists (PGs).ResultsThe survey had a response rate of 82%. Among the respondents, 57.7% were aware of the probiotic’s definition. There were significant differences in the percentage of participants who had little knowledge of probiotics (P < 0.05), with the highest being PRs and the lowest being PGs. The most common probiotic used by all participants was Lactobacillus acidophilus (63.3%), and Mycobacterium avium was prescribed the least often (8.6%). Most PRs and PSs correctly reported that probiotics reduce the risk of antibiotic-induced diarrhea (74.9 and 80.2%, respectively), but there were no significant differences among them.ConclusionsSignificant differences in knowledge and practice patterns exist for probiotics. Identification of knowledge gaps may be useful to develop educational materials to improve the proper definition, knowledge, and use of probiotics.

Highlights

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit upon the host
Despite the widespread and accessible evidence that supports the benefits of probiotic use, health professionals may hesitate to recommend probiotics to patients when they receive conflicting messages [6]
Demographics Of the 550 questionnaires that were distributed to participating pediatricians, 452 were completed and analyzed

Summary

Introduction

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit upon the host. Knowledge and attitudes of health professionals have been reported to be at a medium level for probiotics. Despite the widespread and accessible evidence that supports the benefits of probiotic use, health professionals may hesitate to recommend probiotics to patients when they receive conflicting messages [6]. Health professionals may have difficulties in processing large volumes of information that are generated by commercial enterprises about the benefits and use of probiotics [7]. Information describing how often pediatricians encounter probiotic usage in their practices and their specific recommendations to their patients has not previously been reported. Sabina et al surveyed 1066 health professionals and reported that knowledge and attitudes of health professionals were at a medium level of knowledge for probiotics [7]. Understanding the spectrum of management styles that are used in the care of children with probiotics would be paramount for improving the quality of care, having a positive effect on a child’s quality of life, and achieving better health outcomes

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