Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pediatricians on infantile colic in the Middle East and North Africa region

BMC Pediatrics

Research Article

Gamal Samy¹  Katayoun Khatami²  Silvio Tafuri³  Flavia Indrio³  Berkouk Karima⁴  Joseph Haddad⁵  Nehza Mouane⁶  Mohamad Miqdady⁷  Fahd Al Aql⁸  Mohamed Salah⁹  Sulaiman Alsaad^1,10  Aiman Rahmani^1,11 

[1] Department of Child Health and Nutrition, Institute of Postgraduate Childhood Studies, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt;Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Mofid Children Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;Department of Pediatric University of Bari Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Via Amendola 270, 70126, Bari, Italy;Department of Pediatrics, Bab El Oued Hospital, Algiers, Algeria;Department of Pediatrics, Saint George University Hospital, Balamand University, Beirut, Lebanon;Gastroenterology Nutrition Department, Children Hospital Ibn Sina, University Mohammed V Faculty of Medicine, Rabat, Morocco;Hepatology & Nutrition Division, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;Nestlé Nutrition, Dubai, United Arab Emirates;Royale Hayat Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait;Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates;

关键词: Colic;    Functional gastrointestinal disorder;    Middle East and North Africa;    Pediatricians;    Breastfeeding;    Formula;    Infant;    Fussing;    Neonate;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12887-017-0939-0

 received in 2016-07-28, accepted in 2017-10-12,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundRegional evidence-based guidelines for the prophylaxis and management of infantile colic are not available for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The Allied Against Infantile Functional GI Disorders (ACT) Working Group was created in January, 2015 to determine the knowledge gaps and the current management practices of infantile colic by physicians in the MENA region. The ACT group determined the need for a survey to address these questions. The objectives of the survey were to highlight current clinical practices on the management of infantile colic and to raise awareness on colic severity in the MENA region.MethodsThe ACT working group developed the survey which included respondent characteristics and closed questions on practice in colic prevention. The survey was subject to validation and ethics committee approval in all countries.ResultsA total of 1628 physicians (mostly pediatricians (75.4%), neonatologists (2.4%) and general practitioners (19.8%)) responded to the survey. The 5 most represented countries were KSA (27.9%), Kuwait (22.1%), Morocco (13.8%), Lebanon (10.6%), and Iraq (7.4%). Most of the respondents (77.8%) practiced in governmental settings. A majority of respondents (91.7%) reported that colic is diagnosed predominantly by clinical examination. Above 63%, of pediatricians surveyed, believed that the colic prevalence rate was >40%, which is greater than the 20% rate reported in worldwide surveys. Yet, most of the responding physicians (73%) prefer to simply reassure parents rather than prescribe a therapeutic agent. Most physicians were either neutral (58%) or did not endorse (18.4%) colic prophylaxis. Of those who prescribed formulae for non-breastfed children, a majority (64.3%) chose “Comfort” formulae over hydrolyzed or lactose-free formulae or formulae with probiotics.ConclusionsThe results of this survey suggest that a substantial proportion of responding physicians from the selected MENA countries do not advocate for prophylaxis of colic. The findings of this survey suggest that more educational efforts are required to increase awareness of the strong body of evidence supporting the efficacy of probiotics in the prevention and management of infantile colic.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017