Authors:
Watkins RE; Elliott EJ; Mutch RC; Latimer J; Wilkins A; Payne JM; Jones HM; Miers S; Peadon E; McKenzie A; D'Antoine HA; Russell E; Fitzpatrick J; O'Leary CM; Halliday J; Hayes L; Burns L; Carter M; Bower C
Authors notes:
BMC Pediatrics. 2012;12(19):1-9
Keywords:
Health practitioner, Attitude of Health Personnel, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Abstract
Despite the availability of five guidelines for the diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), there is no national endorsement for their use in diagnosis in Australia.
In this study we aimed to describe health professionals' perceptions about the adoption of existing guidelines for the diagnosis of FASD in Australia and identify implications for the development of national guidelines.
Participants most frequently reported using the University of Washington 4-Digit Diagnostic Code (27.2%) and the Canadian guidelines (18.5%) for diagnosis.
These two guidelines were also most frequently recommended for adoption in Australia: 32.5% of the 40 participants who were familiar with the University of Washington 4-Digit Diagnostic Code recommended adoption of this guideline in Australia, and 30.8% of the 26 participants who were familiar with the Canadian guidelines recommended adoption of this guideline in Australia.
However, for the majority of guidelines examined, most participants were unsure whether they should be adopted in Australia.
Participants indicated some support for the adoption of the University of Washington or Canadian guidelines for FASD diagnosis; however, concerns were raised about the adoption of these diagnostic guidelines in their current form.
Australian diagnostic guidelines will require evaluation to establish their validity in the Australian context, and a comprehensive implementation model is needed to facilitate improved diagnostic capacity in Australia