A study of the quality of knowledge about child autism among doctors of different specialties planning to work in the field of physical and rehabilitation medicine

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, a steady increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders around the world has been reported. It is known that autism spectrum disorders requires early diagnosis and medical intervention. By identifying the risks of autism spectrum disorders, doctors can help the child and family get qualified help as soon as possible. Given the variety of functional disorders in autism spectrum disorders, these patients require special rehabilitation programs and therefore physicians planning work in the field of physical therapy and medical rehabilitation should be oriented in this problem.

AIMS: To determine the level of awareness of the problem of autism spectrum disorders among doctors of different specialties planning to work in the field of physical and rehabilitation medicine.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was conducted on the KCAHW questionnaire of 105 doctors of 8 medical specialties who underwent primary retraining in the cycle "Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine" at the Department of Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine and Medical Rehabilitation of the Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education.

RESULTS: According to the results of filling out the KCAHW questionnaire, the median of correct answers was 14 [7; 19] out of 19 possible, which is the average value of the level of knowledge about autism spectrum disorders. Our research shows that there is a lack of knowledge in the relationship between autism and epilepsy and mental retardation, as well as the relationship between the disease and poor nutrition. Among the respondents, there was also a misunderstanding about the age of the child at which the first signs of autism spectrum disorders can be suspected: 60 (57.1%) of the survey participants correctly determined that autism begins in childhood, 35 (33.3%) of the surveyed doctors believed that autism occurs in infancy, and 10 (9.5%) people indicated the neonatal period.

CONCLUSION: The KCAHW questionnaire is a reliable tool for assessing health care providers' knowledge of childhood autism. The conducted research allows us to conclude that doctors are not sufficiently knowledgeable in the field of knowledge about autism spectrum disorders. The totality of all the respondents' answers indicates the importance of additional information about modern research on the problem of autism spectrum disorders for all doctors planning further work in the field of physical and rehabilitation medicine.