Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of physicians that participated in the survey (N = 383)
Characteristics | Categories | N (%*) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
ender a | Male | 85 (22.2) | ||
Female | 288 (75.2) | |||
Age b | ≤ 35 years old (Y/O) | 50 (13.1) | ||
> 35 Y/O | 320 (83.6) | |||
Attended medical school in Romania c | Yes | 379 (99.0) | ||
Type of Medical school attended d | Private | 13 (3.4) | ||
Public | 361 (94.3) | |||
Medical school of degree conferral e | Carol Davila University of Medicine & Pharmacy | 208 (54.3) | ||
Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine & Pharmacy | 64 (16.7) | |||
Other | 94 (24.5) | |||
Ward rotations completed in medical school | Family Medicine | Yes | 252 (65.8) | |
No | 131 (34.2) | |||
Surgical | Yes | 308 (80.4) | ||
No | 75 (19.6) | |||
OB/GYN | Yes | 316 (82.5) | ||
No | 67 (17.5) | |||
Psychiatry | Yes | 299 (78.1) | ||
No | 84 (21.9) | |||
Pediatrics | Yes | 342 (89.3) | ||
No | 41 (10.7) | |||
Internal Medicine | Yes | 340 (88.8) | ||
No | 43 (11.2) | |||
Geriatrics | Yes | 120 (31.3) | ||
No | 263 (68.7) | |||
Emergency | Yes | 193 (50.4) | ||
No | 190 (49.6) | |||
Other | Yes | 121 (31.6) | ||
No | 262 (68.4) | |||
Training after medical school ** | Training at Certificate level | 355 (92.7) | ||
Training at Masters level | 39 (10.2) | |||
Training at Doctorate level | 28 (7.3) | |||
Other levels of training | 107 (27.9) | |||
No training | 34 (8.9) | |||
Most recent continuing education completed at the time of survey f | > 2014 | 159 (41.5) | ||
2007–2014 | 76 (19.8) | |||
< 2007 | 73 (19.1) | |||
Years practicing medicine g | ≤ 15 Years | 97 (25.3) | ||
16–30 Years | 151 (39.4) | |||
> 30 Years | 115 (30.0) | |||
City in which the physician’s clinic is located h | Bucharest | 211 (55.1) | ||
Suçeava | 23 (6.0) | |||
Brăila | 16 (4.2) | |||
Other | 119 (31.1) | |||
Average number of patients seen by the physician in a day i | > 40 patients | 16 (4.2) | ||
21–40 patients | 176 (46.0) | |||
0–20 patients | 166 (43.3) | |||
Where the physician’s patients come from? j | Urban | 270 (70.5) | ||
Rural | 46 (12) | |||
Both urban and rural | 56 (14.6) | |||
Has the physician heard of autism? k | Yes | 305 (79.6) | ||
No | 72 (18.8) | |||
Physician’s sources of knowledge about ASD (n = 305) | Medical School | Yes | 137 (44.9) | |
No | 168 (55.1) | |||
Continuing Education | Yes | 166 (54.4) | ||
No | 139 (45.6) | |||
Conferences | Yes | 225 (73.8) | ||
No | 80 (26.2) | |||
Primary Literature | Yes | 205 (67.2) | ||
No | 100 (32.8) | |||
Colleagues | Yes | 168 (55.1) | ||
No | 137 (44.9) | |||
Television | Yes | 145 (47.5) | ||
No | 160 (52.5) | |||
Newspaper | Yes | 75 (24.6) | ||
No | 230 (75.4) | |||
Internet | Yes | 230 (75.4) | ||
No | 75 (24.6) | |||
Radio | Yes | 27 (8.9) | ||
No | 278 (91.1) | |||
Other sources l | Yes | 37 (12.1) | ||
No | 253 (83.0) | |||