Research Article
Consensus and Discordance in the Management of Growth Hormone-Treated Patients: Results of a Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practices Survey
1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital, MMC 8404, PWB 13-124, 516 Delaware Street, SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
2 All Children's Hospital, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33701, USA
3 EPI-Q, Oakbrook, IL 60523, USA
4 Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
5 Department of Pediatrics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
6 Children's Hospital, University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80218, USA
7 Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
8 Children's Hospital, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology 2010, 2010:891571 doi:10.1155/2010/891571
Published: 15 September 2010Abstract
Our purpose was to determine pediatric endocrinologists' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs,
and practices (KABPs) regarding recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment,
examine care-related attitude consensus or discordance, and identify evidence-based
practice gaps. We developed a survey for National Cooperative Growth Study (NCGS)
investigators (
) to elicit their KABPs regarding GH stimulation testing as a diagnostic tool, IGF-1
monitoring for safety and dosing guidance, and pubertal dosing. Responses were compared
with NCGS data from the last 20 years. Comparison between survey responses and NCGS
data revealed potential discrepancies between expressed opinions and actual practice.
In conclusion, this KABP survey, combined with NCGS data, suggests changes over time
in diagnostic and rhGH-related therapeutic practices. Variability and inconsistency
exist between the survey responses and practice trends over time as reflected in the
NCGS database. Further study is necessary to provide evidence to guide rhGH treatment
decisions.
