PHYSICIAN AWARENESS OF FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME - A SURVEY OF PEDIATRICIANS AND GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS

Objective: To determine the knowledge, clinical experience and perceiv ed needs for resource materials of Saskatchewan physicians in regard t o fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and alcohol-related birth defects. Desi gn: Mailed survey. Setting: Saskatchewan. Participants: All 48 pediatr icians and half (394) of the family physicians (FPs) and general pract itioners (GPs) practising in Saskatchewan received a questionnaire. Th e numbers of physicians who completed it were 24 and 249 respectively. Results: The pediatricians were more likely than the other physicians to be aware of FAS and to have diagnosed at least one case of FAS. Am ong the FPs and GPs, the year of graduation from medical school was a significant factor in their knowledge of FAS and their diagnostic prac tices. Those who graduated before 1974, the year FAS was first describ ed in the medical literature, were less likely than the more recent gr aduates to be aware of FAS and to ask their patients about alcohol use during pregnancy but were more likely to feel comfortable discussing alcohol-related issues in families. All of the groups reported a need for more information about FAS and for resources on alcohol-related is sues in general. Conclusions: Saskatchewan physicians are aware of FAS but have expressed a need for more information about FAS, particularl y for parents, as well as physician training materials and information about where to refer patients with FAS and parents with alcohol-relat ed problems.