2019 Volume 55 Issue 7 Pages 1164-1169
Purpose: The stool color card for screening biliary atresia (BA) has been available in Japan since 2012. However, many BA patients treated in a hospital are over 3 months old. We sought to evaluate medical health professionals’ understanding of BA and use of the stool color card to help improve their knowledge and practice.
Methods: We administered a questionnaire survey, with the aim of developing an educational campaign for medical health professionals at our institution, which included pediatricians, obstetricians, nurses in children’s and maternity wards, and midwives.
Results: A total 109 of 172 (63.3%) medical health professionals responded to our questionnaire. Thirteen (11.9%) respondents stated that they were unfamiliar with the color card. Thirty-nine (35.7%) said that they could not identify the stool color without using the color card. However, 105 (96.3%) respondents had good knowledge of BA and 59 (54.1%) knew that patients with BA are diagnosed within 1 month of age. Forty-five (41.2%) providers believed that BA can be completely cured.
Conclusions: The results of our questionnaire showed that apart from pediatric surgeons, there is little understanding of BA among medical professionals. Health professionals and parents must be educated about the importance of BA and instructed in the proper use of the stool card.
