Knowledge and Attitude of General Practitioners Regarding Autism in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

General practitioners (GPs) could have an important role in early diagnosis of autism. There have been no studies evaluating the knowledge of GPs regarding autism in Pakistan. We aimed to fill that gap by assessing knowledge and attitude of GPs in Karachi regarding autism. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 348 GPs; only 148 (44.6%) had heard of "autism." Our results show that GPs less than 30 years of age and those who obtained their Medical Degree in the last 5 years are more likely to report knowledge about autism: OR = 3.0; 95% CI: 1.71, 5.31, and OR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.48, 4.42, respectively. In addition, among those reporting knowledge about autism, many held misconceptions regarding the signs and symptoms and etiology.

A survey of Autism knowledge and attitudes among the healthcare professionals in Lahore, Pakistan

“…The discrepancy in knowledge found among healthcare workers was not totally unexpected due to health service structure in Pakistan. This is also consistent with the results of previous studies documenting some differences and misperceptions about various aspects of autism across disciplines [5,6,11,20,21]. Since child specialty centers in Pakistan are few, many of the children with Autism and intellectual disabilities are first referred to special education centers by various professionals, usually without comprehensive assessments and standardized diagnostic evaluations.…”

“…A survey conducted by the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect(ANPPCAN) in 2007 showed low to moderate level of knowledge about autism among the various categories of healthcare workers(HCW) with highest level of awareness in healthcare workers of psychiatric facilities in the region [9]. Looking at the studies from subcontinent, Indian psychiatrists, psychologists, and pediatricians generally agreed on characteristics required to diagnose Autism [10], while in another study done in Karachi, Pakistan, General Practitioners who were less than 30 years of age and five or fewer years after acquisition of their medical degrees, were found to be more informed and accurate in their understanding of Autism[11]. …”

A Survey of Knowledge and Beliefs regarding Autism in Speech-Language Pathologists in India

“…The study results showed that medical residents and physicians had misconceptions regarding characteristics and nature of autism, as well as confusion regarding which intervention is effective. Similarly, a study by Rahbar et al [7] assessed the knowledge and attitudes regarding autism in general practitioners in Karachi, Pakistan. Similar to Campbell [6] findings, medical practitioners in this study showed several misconceptions related to signs, symptoms, and causes of autism.…”

A Study of Physician Knowledge and Experience with Autism in Adults in a Large Integrated Healthcare System

“…Previous surveys among various groups of healthcare providers reported gaps in knowledge about ASD, deficiencies in diagnostic abilities, and a lack of self-perceived competency in treating children with autism (Bakare et al 2009(Bakare et al , 2008Eseigbe et al 2015;Garg et al 2014;Golnik et al 2009;Hartley-McAndrew et al 2014;Heidgerken et al 2005;Igwe et al 2011;Imran et al 2011;Khanna and Jariwala 2012;Nicolaidis et al 2015;Oskoui and Wolfson 2012;Rahbar et al 2011). Parents of children with autism also expressed low confidence in (Harrington et al 2006) and dissatisfaction with their children's physicians (Liptak et al 2006).…”