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Paediatricians' practices and knowledge of corticosteroids: A national survey

Opal Sekler1, Anat Segev-Becker2, Hagar Interator2,3

  • 1Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|July 13, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Paediatricians show gaps in knowledge regarding corticosteroid tapering and stress dosing, despite extensive experience. Continued medical education (CME) is recommended to improve patient care and management of corticosteroid therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Clinical Pharmacy
  • Medical Education

Background:

  • Corticosteroids are widely used in pediatric care, necessitating a thorough understanding of their prescription and management.
  • Gaps in knowledge regarding corticosteroid use can lead to suboptimal patient outcomes and potentially life-threatening situations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the current corticosteroid prescription patterns among pediatricians.
  • To evaluate pediatricians' knowledge of critical aspects of corticosteroid therapy, including tapering and stress dosing.
  • To identify factors associated with better knowledge and to determine the need for further education.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional, web-based survey, the Paediatricians Corticosteroids Survey, was conducted.
  • The survey was distributed to Israeli pediatricians between February and July 2018.
  • Data from 349 participants were analyzed, including experience, prescription rates, and knowledge assessment.

Main Results:

  • While 55% of pediatricians prescribed corticosteroids to over 10% of their patients, significant knowledge gaps were observed in areas like steroid tapering (4.1% unsure) and stress dosing (8.2% unsure of meaning, 10.1% unsure when required).
  • Higher knowledge scores were associated with specialized training in pediatric endocrinology, subspecialty practice, and medical studies within Israel.
  • A strong majority (96.2%) expressed interest in continued medical education (CME) sessions focused on corticosteroids.

Conclusions:

  • Despite considerable clinical experience, pediatricians exhibit deficits in knowledge concerning critical corticosteroid management, particularly in emergency scenarios.
  • Targeted, corticosteroid-focused CME programs are essential to enhance pediatricians' expertise and improve the management of pediatric patients on corticosteroid therapy.
Abstract

Keywords:
corticosteroid proficiencycorticosteroid surveycorticosteroid usagepaediatric subspecialistspaediatricians

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