Perceived competence in adolescent medicine practice and paediatrics sub-specialty preferences of Nigerian medical practitioners

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Background : Adolescent medicine (AM) is a field in paediatrics that provides comprehensive healthcare to adolescents, considering their transitional stage in development. Objectives : We examined perception of AM among medical officers and house officers in paediatrics, their perceived competence in AM practice, and their paediatrics subspecialty preferences. Method : It is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Participants’ views, perceived competence in AM and subspecialty preferences were determined using a five-item Likert scale on a self-administered questionnaire. Pearson’s Chi-square was used to assess any association between perceived competence and gender/ duration of clinical practice. Results: Of the 42 clinicians enrolled, 57% were males, 46% were practising in Teaching Hospitals, and nearly 67% were from South-South geopolitical zones. About 60% participants reported that they were ‘more competent’ in managing adolescents while 19% perceived they were ‘less competent’ with this age group. However, 8 out of every 10 study participants expressed need for further training in AM. Clinicians’ gender, duration of clinical practice and practice setting did not influence their perceived competence in AM (p >0.05). Emergency paediatrics (68%), respiratory unit (63%) and AM (49%) were the ‘more preferred’ subspecialties. Conclusion : There is an apparently high level of AM competence and preference among the clinicians. (Key words: Adolescent medicine; perceived competence; medical practitioners) Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health , 2014; 43 (3): 163-167 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v43i3.7377