Are GPs adequately equipped with the knowledge for educating and counseling of families with ADHD children?
BACKGROUND
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common child psychiatry disorders. General physicians (GP), as primary care providers, can have an important role in screening and treatment of ADHD. This study aimed to survey GPs' knowledge, attitude, and their views of their role in the screening, diagnosing and managing children with ADHD.


METHODS
Six hundred and sixty five general physicians in Shiraz, Iran, answered a self-reported questionnaire on ADHD. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding socio-demographic characteristics such as age, the duration of practice as a GP, marital status, general knowledge about ADHD, and the management of ADHD.


RESULTS
Less than half of them believed that they have adequate knowledge and information about this disorder. They usually do not like to be the primary care providers for children with ADHD. The majority of them prefer to refer the children to related specialists, mostly psychiatrists or psychologists. More than one third of them believed that sugar is a cause of ADHD. Only 6.6% of them reported that ADHD persists for the whole life. Their knowledge about methylphenidate is reasonable.


CONCLUSIONS
As many other countries worldwide, the knowledge of GPs about ADHD should be improved. They do not asses and manage children with probable ADHD by themselves without referring to related professionals. They do not opt for the use of methylphenidate.
Ghanizadeh
Ahmad
A
Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Hafez Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. ghanizad@sina.tums.ac.ir
Zarei
Nabi
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003376:Counseling; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000592:standards*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires