Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-up in Moroccan Arabic dialect.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder is increasing worldwide, making screening and early intervention necessary. Several screening instruments have been developed in recent years. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers Revised with Follow-up (M-CHAT-R/F) is considered to be one of the specific measures designed to identify toddlers at risk for autistic spectrum disorder. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to translate and adapt the original version of M-CHAT-R/F from the English to the Moroccan Arabic language. STUDY DESIGN: Specialized translators and clinicians ensured forward and backward translation of the scale into Moroccan Arabic. Then, a two-stage screening of the M-CHAT-R/F-T was applied to a study sample comprised of 56 toddlers with autistic spectrum disorder (category I) and 96 toddlers with normal development (category II). "Kappa test", "Cronbach's alpha" test, the intra class correlation coefficient, and the area under the curve were determined. RESULT: The average score results of M-CHAT-R/F were 13.12 for category I, while it was 2.24 for category II. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the checklist was 0.929. The kappa values ranged from k=0.78 to k=0.97 with a confidence interval of 95% indicating good convergence. The intra-class correlation coefficient ranged from 0.97 to 0.99, which is excellent. The area under the curve in our study was 0.988, an excellent result. CONCLUSION: Efficiency of the Moroccan Arabic version of the MCHAT was demonstrated for screening in the general population.

[The role of the general practitioner in management of psychiatric disorders]. / Le rôle du médecin généraliste dans la prise en charge des pathologies psychiatriques.

AIM: Psychiatric disorders represent a huge burden of disease worldwide. Significant gaps in their diagnosis and treatment remain. In Morocco, an observed shortage of psychiatrists would logically call for their collaboration with family physicians. Our objectives were to analyse perceptions of general practitioners' capacity to manage psychiatric disorders, to study the difficulties encountered in their management of these pathologies, and to assess their degree of collaboration with existing mental health structures. METHODS: A cross-sectional nationwide survey of family physicians practicing in urban and rural areas in the private and public sectors in the Kingdom of Morocco was organised. Carried out over a period of 10 months (April 2016 to January 2017), the study was based on an anonymised self-administered questionnaire comprising 23 items. Were excluded from the sample: physicians who had tested the questionnaire prior to its distribution, medical students, family physicians employed in administrative services, resident doctors in university hospitals, and questionnaires with incomplete answers. RESULTS: All in all, five hundred and four questionnaires were distributed, with a participation rate of 79.8%, while 57.9% of the respondents were men. Their seniority as doctors ranged from 1 year to 60 years with average duration of 19.5±11 years. An overwhelming majority of the doctors had obtained their doctorates in Morocco, while 8.4% had been trained abroad. The majority of the doctors surveyed worked in private practice in urban areas (53.1%), and most of them (81.9%) agreed that the management of psychiatric disorders is a public health priority. The participating physicians stated that they received an average of five patients per day suffering from mental disorders, representing 17.3% of their medical consultations. According to their perceptions, the most frequent psychiatric pathologies were depression, somatoform disorders and sleep disturbances, which were cited by 92.9%, 78.8% and 78.5% of them respectively. Regarding the diagnosis of psychiatric pathologies, 60.2% of the doctors considered bipolar disorder as a difficult pathology to diagnose, followed by schizophrenia, autism and dementia, while the pathologies reported as the most difficult to treat were addictive behaviours, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and dementia. Physicians felt a need for training, primarily pertaining to anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders (49.5%, 35% and 33.7%, respectively). Nearly a quarter of the respondents (22.4%) mentioned a need for training in management of all psychiatric illnesses. Regarding the reasons for their referral of patients to mental health care structures, 65.4% of the physicians justified their doing so by a need for hospitalisation, while in 43.7% of cases, the transfer was carried out at the request of the patient or his family. The difficulties mentioned by the respondents were firstly a lack of adapted means of care (77.5%), followed by their insufficient training in mental healthcare (52.4%) and absence of collaboration with mental health professionals (52.4%). CONCLUSION: For the majority of the physicians surveyed, psychiatry represented a public health priority, and their prioritising provides a probable explanation for their positive perception of their role in the management of mental disorders. However, we went on to observe that a number of difficulties constituted obstacles to their role in management of mental disorders and induced them to refer their patients to psychiatrists. Our analysis highlighted the impact of continuing education on physicians' attitudes and the interest of collaboration between practitioners. Efforts in university teaching and continuous education should be encouraged in view of enabling family physicians to more effectively cope with the demands of daily practice and meet the expectations of the overall population.

[The perception of liaison psychiatry by the medico-chirurgical services]. / La perception de la psychiatrie de liaison par les services médico-chirurgicaux, Fès, Maroc.

INTRODUCTION: Research addressing the perception of liaison psychiatry by caregivers is still limited in Morocco. Collaboration between practitioners in liaison psychiatry is necessary, and the perception of physicians influences their implications in liaison psychiatry. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the perception of this activity among the various medical and surgical units, determine the involvement, level of collaboration and expectations of practitioners, as well as the difficulties and constraints encountered. METHODOLOGY: A survey was carried out among medical personnel at the Hassan II University Hospital Centre in Fez in 2016, through a self-questionnaire determining the perception and position of carers with regard to liaison psychiatry. The data are collected using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire, consisting of 27 items. We included in this study a targeted population: interns, residents and professors. RESULTS: The total population of caregivers participating in this survey was 615 physicians, including 111 professors, 436 residents, and 68 interns. The participation rate was 80.32%. The average age was 30.25 years, with 47.6% (236) women and 52.4% (258) men. The percentage of doctors who obtained their doctorates in medicine in Morocco was 89.3% (85.9% at the Faculty of Medicine in Fez) and 92.3% had received a unique internship in the psychiatry department during their university studies, while 98.7% never received any continuing training in the field of psychiatry. Half of responding physicians reported difficulties in managing psychiatric disorders diagnostically, and 59.5% (292) reported difficulties in treating patients with psychiatric disorders, while 90% (444) reported that they are unable to provide therapeutic follow-up. Only 35.6% of the doctors surveyed were informed about the establishment of liaison psychiatry, but only 10% of these doctors were informed about the procedure for requesting a psychiatric opinion. Faced with a psychiatric disorder, 98% of doctors managed the situation by seeking psychiatric advice, 87.1% considered this request urgent. The reasons for not soliciting q psychiatrist were divided between difficulties in identifying a psychiatric disorder (51%) and difficulties in requesting an opinion (49%). CONCLUSION: Our study showed several difficulties perceived by practitioners, whether in the diagnosis, treatment or follow-up of patients with psychiatric manifestations. Collaboration between different practitioners is an indispensable element of patient management. Improving knowledge through awareness-raising and the organization of scientific days bringing together the different specialties will help to improve doctors' perceptions.