The GPs reported obstacles to the identification of FASD was the taboo and society's paradoxical injunctions, the limited knowledge and experience, the non-specific and highly varying symptoms, ambiguous classification and method of diagnosis involving the mobilization of a multidisciplinary team and the length of consultations. The study findings revealed that GPs did not prioritize the identification of FASD in adults and expressed scepticism regarding the effectiveness of treatment, considering the disorder as irreversible. In contrast, GPs felt confident in identifying neurodevelopmental disorders resulting from various causes but expressed concerns about the extended waiting times for accessing specialized care.
Taboo, denial and society's paradoxical injunctions
Practicing in Reunion means considering local particularities. In Reunion, it is traditional to consume alcohol for social reasons (family celebrations or others), but also for therapeutic reasons (alcohol as a remedy in traditional medicine). A study carried out among Reunionese women with children suffering from FASD revealed a feeling of shame and guilt leading to a denial of their alcohol consumption. Indeed, the patients reported that it took a long time before they admitted that their drinking was excessive and spoke of "alcoholism" (16). This denial among patients in Reunion is consistent with the observations of the GPs who found screening for addictive behaviours difficult because they were hidden by the patients themselves.
The GPs highlighted another significant aspect of Reunion, which is the pervasive presence of alcohol advertising that actively promotes its consumption. The GPs noted that this advertising environment plays a role in encouraging the use of alcohol among the population. The major impact of these advertising campaigns on the population results in a feeling of worthlessness of prevention among general practitioners (18). This is encouraged by the low price of alcohol and by the multiplication of sales outlets (17). This could be an obstacle to the role of GPs in preventing the harmful effects of alcohol, as they do not feel supported by the local public authorities.
Limited knowledge and experience
An Australian study revealed that health professionals did not systematically pre-vent alcohol use during pregnancy because they felt that pregnant women knew about the harmful effects of alcohol on the foetus and consequently had stopped drinking (19). This is consistent with the findings of the present study that GPs felt that prevention campaigns were effective and that patients were well educated on the subject. They were also aware that they had prejudices about alcohol use among women in general, leading to an underestimation of alcoholism in this population. GPs encountered challenges when addressing addictive behaviours in women and faced difficulties in referring them to suitable services for support. Nonetheless, the GPs acknowledged the existence of validated questionnaires designed to assist in diagnosing pathological alcohol consumption, which they utilized during consultations to aid in the assessment process, such as AUDIT, T-ACE, TWEAK, CAGE, etc. (20, 21).
The participating GPs emphasized the importance of addressing alcohol consumption during the initial pregnancy consultation. This particular moment was identified as a critical opportunity for providing lifestyle instructions and guidance, prompting the GPs to actively inquire about alcohol consumption during this early stage of care. Many brief alcohol interventions for pregnant women are effective in increasing abstinence during pregnancy and preventing FASD but even a single question about alcohol consumption during pregnancy can be impactful (22). They were able to use the pregnancy booklets, which mentions alcohol consumption (23). On the whole, they advocated the "zero alcohol during pregnancy" recommended in France as in many other countries, for example the United States, Canada and Australia. On the other hand, they tended not to ask the question again during pregnancy follow-up for various reasons, such as the fact that follow-up is increasingly done by other professions such as midwives or gynaecologists. GPs were seeing patients mainly for acute illness and not for follow-up (13, 19).
Consistent with prior research, previous studies have reached a consensus regarding the central role played by GPs in the prevention and identification of FASD. These studies have acknowledged and supported the significant contribution of GPs in both preventing FASD cases through appropriate counselling and education, as well as in identifying individuals at risk or already affected by the disorder (24, 25). However, very few GPs said they had been confronted to patients affected by these disorders during their career. As a result, they did not feel competent to deal with this disorder due to lack of experience (13, 14, 19). They requested more training on the subject (26). This lack of knowledge of FAS was also described by the GPs participating in the study, in fact, during the inter-views they always used the acronym "FAS" and not "FASD" to describe Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. They also did not mention ARBD and ARND. This lack of precision in terms could reflect a lack of information or the deleterious effect of the lack of consensus on the precise naming of this disorder in nosographical classifications (27). The DSM-V proposes: "Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE)" (28). The ICD-10 with the code Q86.0 uses: "FAS (dysmorphic)" (28) without further precision.
Non-specific and highly varying symptoms
Health care professionals had difficulties identifying FASD because of the high varying symptoms, the lack of standardized diagnostic tools, and a time-limited consultation (14, 19, 30, 31).
A study comparing 5 diagnostic methods (31–34) concluded that neither method was better than the others for diagnosing FASD versus other neurodevelopmental disorders, but also between FAS, ARND and ARBD, and that it would be interesting to create a standardized diagnostic method in order to have a single reference (30, 34)
Lack of consensus about the classification and method of diagnosis
Several attempts at classification have also been proposed in order to evaluate the degree of severity of the effects of alcohol on the foetus and to make a diagnosis: Dehaene proposed FAS type I, II, III, IV according to the importance of the dysmorphic damage and the knowledge of prenatal exposure to alcohol (35). The Institute of Medicine classification (30, 32, 35) established in 1996 refers to FAS with or without maternal alcohol exposure, partial FAS, ARBD, ARND; a revision of this classification was published in 2005 and 2016, which is more precise in the diagnosis and more easily applicable clinically (32). This non-exhaustive list of terms surrounding the acronym "FAS" helps us to understand the difficulty of GPs in identifying this disorder.
The lack of knowledge of local specialized referral health care providers for patients diagnosed with FASD was reported in the present study as well as in the previous studies (12, 14). The availability of specialized units included in the care pathway is recognized as an obstacle to the identification of FASD. However, GPs in Reunion could find advice from the Plateforme de coordination et d'orientation (PCO) for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) (35), the FASD resource center (36), or dedicated associations to orient their patients, but they were not aware of their existence.
It is even more difficult to improve the prognosis with a late diagnosis, for example in adulthood. Moreover, in this study, GPs mentioned adults with FASD very little and spoke more frequently about identification in the paediatric population, suggesting that there is an underestimation of the prevalence of undiagnosed FASD (37, 38). FASD may be responsible for subsequent secondary disabilities such as disruptions in schooling, unemployment, mental health problems, trouble with the law, inappropriate sexual behaviour, addictions, etc. Even if treatment is less effective because it is delayed, a diagnosis of FASD made in adulthood would make it possible to obtain support (human, financial, legal, etc.), improve quality of life and, consequently, the prognosis (39). It would be important to make GPs aware of the importance of identifying FASD, including in adulthood.
GPs agreed that their role was more important in the identification and referral of children with FASD in general than in FASD itself. Indeed, they objected that in practice a FASD was difficult to diagnose for various reasons already discussed: time constraints, knowledge or the need for a multidisciplinary team. Rare GPs feel confident in recognizing and referring children with FASD (40). Moreover, the 20 compulsory examinations of the child are completely reimbursed by the health insurance as well as the use of the health booklet could be an aid in the identification of the delay in acquisitions.
Lengthy consultations
The average consultation time for a French GP is 17 minutes (41). This is not optimal for the identification of FASD in infants, children and adolescents. Alcohol consumption by women of childbearing age who wish to become pregnant could be investigated using screening tools such as AUDIT, T-ACE, TWEAK, CAGE, etc. (20, 21).
Strengths and limitations of the study
The strength of this study is the focus on GPs’ interpretation of their clinical role in identifying patients with FASD. We interviewed patients from a wide range of the French region with the highest prevalence of FAS, with a higher probability for GPs to meet patients with FASD.
Among the limitations of the study, three of the interviews were conducted at the physicians' place of work between consultations or at the end of the day, which may have had an influence on the length and quality of the interviews. Finally, the interviewed population could sometimes have answered a little less spontaneous and more thoughtful. A more relaxed attitude was regularly observed at the end of the recording with some-times more spontaneous discussions. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that more than one-third of the contacted GPs expressed disinterest in participating in the study. This potential sampling bias raises the concern that the GPs who did participate may have had a greater interest or motivation in identifying alcohol consumption in pregnant women or FASD. As a result, the findings should be interpreted considering this potential bias, which may limit the generalizability of the study's results to the broader GP population.
Implications for practice and research
The study has highlighted several potential perspectives for practice based on its findings, which include:
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Providing training to general practitioners (GPs) in early identification and intervention for alcohol consumption in both the general population and specifically among pregnant women (for e.g. asking even a single question about alcohol use during pregnancy).
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Focusing on the identification and coordination of care pathways for children affected by neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
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Actively identifying and referring adults suspected of having FASD for further evaluation and support.
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Implementing educational initiatives targeting young women in middle and high school to raise awareness about the risks associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Furthermore, future studies are recommended to consider patients' perspectives on the role of GPs in identifying FASD or other NDDs. It is also suggested to conduct consensus-building approaches to develop a standardized assessment tool for diagnosing FASD in Réunion, ensuring consistency and reliability in the diagnostic process. These recommendations aim to improve the identification, intervention, and support provided by GPs for individuals affected by FASD and other NDDs.