Assessing How Pediatricians, General Practitioners and Family Physicians Take an Approach to Seizure in Children

Introduction: A survey was conducted with the aim of evaluating the attitudes, behaviors and knowledge of physicians in the same province towards pediatric patients with seizures. Materials and Methods: Questionnaires requested to be filled on a voluntary basis were distributed to pediatricians and general practitioners working in university hospitals, district state hospitals and private hospitals; family physicians working in family and community health centers. The interventions to be performed on the patient with febrile and afebrile seizures, the drugs used, their doses, and which patients to refer to pediatric neurology center were asked. Results: A total of 110 doctors -58 family physicians, 32 general practitioners, 20 pediatricians- participated in the study. There was a significant difference in the answers about the second drug that should be administered in ongoing seizure and the rectal diazepam dosage according to the title, institution and the duration of status epilepticus according to the institution and whether or not to give medication to the patient whose seizure had stopped according to the title and the duration in practice of the physician. Also, significant difference was determined in the answers about the time to start drug treatment according to the title and response to questions about the complicated febrile convulsion criteria, 3rd line drug to be administered and body temperature accepted as fever according to the institution. Conclusion: Physicians were found to have different approaches in pediatric patients with seizures. It was thought that it would be possible to use common treatment protocols by conducting in-service training.