INFANT SLEEP POSITION - PEDIATRICIANS ADVICE TO PARENTS

Objective. The American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) recommendation fo r side or supine sleep position in healthy babies has generated much c ontroversy. We surveyed primary care physicians to determine the effec t of the AAP statement on physician attitude toward infant sleep posit ion and advice to parents. Methods. We sent a 23-question survey to 19 4 physicians in Western New York. The survey addressed their attitude toward the AAP recommendations and its impact on their advice to paren ts. Results. Of the 149 physicians treating newborns, 121 (82%) comple ted the questionnaire; 98% were aware of the AAP statement. The most c ommon sources of information were the AAP (86%) and professional liter ature (77%). Of the respondents, 79% agreed with the AAP statement. Re asons for reservation were lack of data (64%), potential adverse conse quences of supine position (52%), and their own experience (47%). Gend er, years in practice, and type of reimbursement did not influence att itude toward the AAP recommendation. The AAP statement increased the f requency with which physicians routinely discussed sleep position from 34 to 70% (P < .02). Physicians recommending the prone position decre ased from 57 to 7% (P < .001), while those recommending supine sleep p osition increased from 10 to 42% (P < .001). Conclusions. Most physici ans agreed with the AAP statement and more frequently discussed sleep position following the AAP recommendations. However, they did not rout inely recommend supine sleep position. The majority (69%) recommended the side position even though it is unstable. Although the AAP stateme nt has increased discussion of infant sleep position by primary care p hysicians in WNY, only a minority recommend that infants sleep supine.