Background: Estimating the true risk of fetal malformations attributable to the use of medications is difficult and\nperception of risk by health professionals will impact their counseling and treatment of patients who need medication\nduring pregnancy. The objective of this study was to assess the perception of the teratogenic risk of 9 commonly and\n3 rarely prescribed drugs among general practitioners and specialists in obstetrics/gynecology.\nMethods: All 811 general practitioners in the Region of Southern Denmark and all 502 specialist obstetricians/\ngynecologists in Denmark as a whole were invited to participate in the study based on an online questionnaire.\nMedians and interpercentile ranges of the perceived background risk and perceived risks for each of the drugs were\nincluded in the questionnaire.\nResults: One hundred forty three (18 %) general practitioners and 138 (27 %) obstetricians/gynecologists\nparticipated. Estimates provided by the participants were generally in accordance with current knowledge\nof drugs with established safety during pregnancy. Perceptions of risks associated with warfarin and retinoid\nexposure were severely underestimated.\nConclusions: Understanding of teratogenic background risk and specific risks associated with in utero exposure to 12\ndifferent drugs generally approached the established knowledge. The risk associated with warfarin and retinoid\nexposure was severely underestimated by both groups of health care professionals, while general practitioners\nspecifically overestimated the risk of sertraline and citalopram to some extent. In Denmark, general practitioners\ncan prescribe antidepressants, and even minor misconceptions of the teratogenic potential of citalopram and\nsertraline may be of clinical relevance. In Denmark, systemic retinoids can only be prescribed by a dermatologist,\nand warfarin treatment is only rarely initiated in women of the fertile age without involvement of specialists in\ninternal medicine. Hence, the active knowledge on the teratogenic potential of these drugs is likely to be less\naccurate among general practitioners and obstetricians/gynecologists; although still of clinical importance since\nthese specialists are largely involved in the counselling of pregnant women.
Loading....