Morgan Maria A, Hankins Gary D V, Zinberg Stanley, Schulkin Jay
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Washington, DC 20024, USA.
J Perinatol. 2005 Aug;25(8):519-25. doi: 10.1038/sj.jp.7211339.
To re-assess obstetrician-gynecologists' knowledge of neonatal encephalopathy and cerebral palsy after publication of the ACOG/AAP Task Force report.
A questionnaire investigating knowledge of neonatal encephalopathy and cerebral palsy was mailed to 1060 members of ACOG, 337 of whom participated in a similar study in 2001.
There was a strong association between familiarity with ACOG documentation and knowledge of neonatal encephalopathy (NE) and cerebral palsy (CP) (p<0.001). As with obstetricians surveyed in 2001, knowledge gaps remain. Performance was better on practices questions than knowledge questions. About one-third (34.2%) of the physicians said their knowledge of neonatal encephalopathy was poor or deficient; the majority (76%) rated their residency training as inadequate to marginal.
The results indicate better knowledge of neonatal encephalopathy and cerebral palsy among physicians more familiar with the Task Force report. There is a clear need for emphasis on these topics during training and continuing medical education.
