title: Consensus diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Australia: a modified Delphi study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate health professionals' agreement with components of published diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in order to guide the development of standard diagnostic guidelines for Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A modified Delphi process was used to assess agreement among health professionals with expertise or experience in FASD screening or diagnosis. An online survey, which included 36 Likert statements on diagnostic methods, was administered over two survey rounds. For fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), health professionals were presented with concepts from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), University of Washington (UW), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), revised IOM and Canadian diagnostic criteria. For partial FAS (PFAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD), concepts based on the IOM and the Canadian diagnostic criteria were compared.
  
  
  METHODS
  130 Australian and 9 international health professionals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 139 health professionals invited to complete the survey, 103 (74.1%) responded, and 74 (53.2%) completed one or more questions on diagnostic criteria. We found consensus agreement among participants on the diagnostic criteria for FAS, with the UW criteria most commonly endorsed when compared with all other published criteria for FAS. When health professionals were presented with concepts based on the Canadian and IOM diagnostic criteria, we found consensus agreement but no clear preference for either the Canadian or IOM criteria for the diagnosis of PFAS, and no consensus agreement on diagnostic criteria for ARND. We also found no consensus on the IOM diagnostic criteria for ARBD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participants indicated clear support for use of the UW diagnostic criteria for FAS in Australia. These findings should be used to develop guidelines to facilitate improved awareness of, and address identified gaps in the infrastructure for, FASD diagnosis in Australia.
authors.affiliation: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Rochelle E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Raewyn C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Mutch
authors.forename: Janet M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Latimer
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: Lorian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: Lucinda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Halliday
authors.forename: Heather A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: D'Antoine
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wilkins
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peadon
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miers
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Colleen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: O'Leary
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bower