A Survey of Health Care Professionals' Knowledge and Experience of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Alcohol Use in Pregnancy

Overview

Journal Clin Med Insights Reprod Health

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Reproductive Medicine

Date 2019 Apr 5

PMID 30944523

Citations 9

Authors

Helen Howlett

Shonag Mackenzie

Eugen-Matthias Strehle

Judith Rankin

William K Gray

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are one of the most common preventable forms of developmental disability and congenital abnormalities globally, particularly in countries where alcohol is considered socially acceptable. Screening for alcohol use early in pregnancy can facilitate the detection of alcohol-exposed pregnancies and identify women who require further assessment. However, only a small percentage of children with FASD are identified in the United Kingdom. This may be partly attributed to a lack of awareness of the condition by National Health Service (NHS) health professionals.

Methods: We developed an online survey to determine health care professionals' (midwives, health visitors, obstetricians, paediatricians, and general practitioners) perceived knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices relating to alcohol in pregnancy and FASD.

Results: There were a total of 250 responses to the surveys (78 midwives, 60 health visitors, 55 obstetricians, 31 paediatricians, and 26 general practitioners). About 58.1% of paediatricians had diagnosed a patient with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or FASD and 36.7% worried about stigmatisation with diagnosis. Paediatricians reported the highest levels of FASD training (54.8%), with much lower levels in midwives (21.3%). This was reflected in perceived knowledge levels; overall, only 19.8% of respondents knew the estimated UK prevalence of FASD for example.

Conclusions: We identified a need for training in alcohol screening in pregnancy and FASD to improve awareness and recognition by UK professionals. This could improve patient care from the antenatal period and throughout childhood.

Citing Articles

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder resources for health professionals: a scoping review.

Stubbs T, Cannon L, Carter E, Naanai H, Okurame J, Martiniuk A BMJ Open. 2024; 14(7):e086999.

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Actions to prevent and identify fetal alcohol spectrum disorders to be implemented in general practice: a consensus.

Leruste S, Pouilley-Bax A, Doray B, Maillard T, Monin F, Loubaresse C Front Med (Lausanne). 2024; 11:1278973.

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The role of general practitioners in Reunion in detecting alcohol use in pregnant women and identifying fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a qualitative study.

Leruste S, Delfarguiel L, Doray B, Loubaresse C, Sennsfelder L, Maillard T Arch Public Health. 2023; 81(1):210.

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Lived experiences of the diagnostic assessment process for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.

Hayes N, Bagley K, Hewlett N, Elliott E, Pestell C, Gullo M Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken). 2023; 47(7):1209-1223.

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Internal validity evidence of a knowledge questionnaire on alcohol use, abuse and dependence and associated questions.

de Vargas D, Marques D, Volpato R, Ramirez E, Socorro de Sousa Nobrega M Rev Bras Enferm. 2023; 76(1):e20210377.

PMID: 36753191 PMC: 9901347. DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167-2021-0377.

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