On the Knowledge and Prescription of Probiotics by Pediatric Providers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The therapeutic or prophylactic efficacy and safety of probiotics are not well established. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of probiotic use in children among pediatric providers. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of pediatric providers. A survey was sent to the members of the American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter 1. Results: We received 168 responses. Participants were mostly females (70%) and with MD or equivalent education (93%). About 50% of responders did not select the correct definition of probiotics and confused probiotics with prebiotics and synbiotics. About 97% of practitioners were asked about the merits of probiotics by families, and 60% of respondents had prescribed probiotics in their clinical practice. The most common indication for prescription was for treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. When asked about their recommendation for a family who had already started probiotics, 66% of the providers recommended continuing the probiotics. There was a significant association between the frequency of probiotics prescription and the type of practice (p < 0.05). However, this association disappeared after adjusting for age, gender, education, and years of practice. The more experienced the practitioner, the lower the odds were of prescribing probiotics (p < 0.05). Conclusions: There was inadequate knowledge about probiotics among general pediatric providers. Of the pediatricians asked about probiotics, most recommended continuing them if a family was using probiotics for a specific condition. Studies with a larger nationally representative sample are required for future research.