RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Infant and Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation: Clinician Perspectives and Practices
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 95
OP 104
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2022.220244R1
VO 36
IS 1
A1 Aul, Andrea J.
A1 Fischer, Philip R.
A1 Benson, Matthew R.
A1 Oberhelman-Eaton, Sara S.
A1 Mara, Kristin C.
A1 Thacher, Tom D.
YR 2023
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/36/1/95.abstract
AB Introduction: Rates of infant vitamin D supplementation fall short of guideline recommendations. We explored this discrepancy from the clinician perspective as they advise and affect this important intervention to prevent rickets. We compared infant and high-dose maternal vitamin D supplementation prescribing attitudes and practices between infant-only clinicians (IC) and clinicians who care for mothers and infants (MIC).Methods: We surveyed clinicians in departments of family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, primary care pediatrics, neonatology, newborn nursery, and members of vitamin D and rickets working groups and a social media group for lactation medicine providers about their perspectives and practices regarding vitamin D supplementation.Results: 360 clinician survey responses were analyzed. In current practice, IC were more likely than MIC to recommend vitamin D supplementation to exclusively (P < .001) and partially breastfed infants (P = .005). MIC were more likely than IC to discuss infant and high-dose maternal supplementation options and let the parents/caregivers choose (34.7%, 22.0%, P = .009). If supplementing the mother with high-dose vitamin D or the infant directly each provided adequate vitamin D in the infant, MIC were more likely than IC to think that supplementation of the mother would be preferred by parents/caregivers (63.0%, 45.2%, P = .003), improve adherence (66.5%, 49.4%, P = .006), and promote breastfeeding (54.7%, 36.5%, P = .001); they were also more likely to recommend supplementation of the mother (17.7%, 8.9%, P = .04).Conclusions: MIC are more likely than IC to embrace high-dose maternal vitamin D supplementation to provide adequate vitamin D for infants. This highlights an opportunity for further education of clinicians about this option.