Erzurumluoğlu Fatmanur, Gümüştakım Raziye Şule, Kuş Celal, Arslan Semiha Cömertoğlu
Department of Family Medicine, Oğuzeli District Health Directorate, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Department of Family Medicine, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Medical Faculty, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.
Int J Dev Neurosci. 2025 Feb;85(1):e70003. doi: 10.1002/jdn.70003.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a growing social health issue. Primary healthcare institutions are where children most commonly seek help, and family physicians in primary care play a crucial role in early ASD detection. This study aims to assess the knowledge level, behaviours, and attitudes of family physicians and family medicine residents across Turkey, identify factors affecting their knowledge, and raise awareness among physicians.
This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between March and June 2022, with the participation of family medicine specialists, residents, and practicing physicians in Turkey. A 50-question survey was administered face-to-face and digitally. The survey comprised 31 questions on sociodemographic information, factors influencing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours about ASD. The second part included a 19-question "Knowledge about childhood autism among health workers" (KCAHW) questionnaire.
The study included 392 physicians with a mean age of 32.8 ± 7.9; 60.7% were women. Among the participants, 50.3% were family medicine residents, 21.7% were family medicine specialists, 17.0% were family physicians and 11.0% were contracted family medicine residents. The physicians' mean KCAHW score was 14.1 ± 2.6. Screening for ASD and following ASD were significantly associated with the perception of knowledge level (p = 0.004; p = 0.028, respectively). A statistically significant relationship was found between paediatric rotation, education about ASD, patient follow-ups and the KCAHW scores. Moreover, 98.2% of physicians believed children with ASD should receive special education, while 79.6% thought ASD carried a social stigma, and 52% believed an ASD diagnosis could lead to discrimination.
The study found that participants lacked knowledge about comorbidities with ASD, atypical presentations of ASD, and guiding individuals with ASD. However, having a paediatric rotation, receiving ASD training and following up on children with ASD were associated with increased knowledge levels. Screening for and following up on children with ASD also boosted physicians' self-confidence.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一个日益严重的社会健康问题。基层医疗机构是儿童最常寻求帮助的地方，基层医疗中的家庭医生在ASD早期检测中起着至关重要的作用。本研究旨在评估土耳其家庭医生和家庭医学住院医师的知识水平、行为和态度，确定影响他们知识水平的因素，并提高医生的认识。
本描述性横断面研究于2022年3月至6月进行，土耳其的家庭医学专家、住院医师和执业医生参与其中。通过面对面和数字方式进行了一项包含50个问题的调查。该调查包括31个关于社会人口统计学信息、影响ASD知识、态度和行为的因素的问题。第二部分包括一个19个问题的“卫生工作者对儿童自闭症的知识”（KCAHW）问卷。
该研究纳入了392名医生，平均年龄为32.8±7.9岁；60.7%为女性。参与者中，50.3%是家庭医学住院医师，21.7%是家庭医学专家，17.0%是家庭医生，11.0%是合同制家庭医学住院医师。医生的KCAHW平均得分为14.1±2.6。ASD筛查和跟踪与知识水平认知显著相关（分别为p = 0.004；p = 0.028）。在儿科轮转、ASD教育、患者随访与KCAHW得分之间发现了统计学上的显著关系。此外，98.2%的医生认为ASD儿童应接受特殊教育，而79.6%的医生认为ASD带有社会耻辱感，52%的医生认为ASD诊断可能导致歧视。
研究发现，参与者缺乏关于ASD合并症、ASD非典型表现以及指导ASD患者的知识。然而，进行儿科轮转、接受ASD培训以及对ASD儿童进行随访与知识水平的提高相关。对ASD儿童进行筛查和随访也增强了医生的自信心。
