Knowledge and beliefs about autism spectrum disorders among physicians: a cross-sectional survey from China

BACKGROUND: The incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is increasing greatly, with high demands for earlier diagnosis and intervention. However, little is known about ASD knowledge and beliefs among physicians in China. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was used to assess the knowledge and beliefs about the diagnosis and management of ASD and 24 beliefs regarding the treatment and prognostic aspects of ASD among physicians of any medical specialty in China. RESULTS: A total of 1160 physicians were recruited and surveyed, with an average score of 8.48±2.66 (total of 18 points) for the questionnaire on the main symptoms of ASD and 14.35±3.69 (total of 24 points) for beliefs about ASD. Physicians’ age, sex, specialty and practice years were related to their knowledge of identifying patients with ASD. Physicians specialising in paediatrics/psychology/psychiatry scored higher than those specialising in other specialties both in response to diagnostic questions (8.98±2.63 vs 8.30±2.65, p<0.001) and beliefs about ASD (15.57±3.44 vs 13.97±3.97, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge and beliefs about ASD symptoms, diagnosis and treatment are insufficient among physicians in China. Education and training programmes on this topic should be enhanced in physicians of all specialties, especially for male physicians who have short years in practice.