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. 2020 Feb 3;15(2):e0228377.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228377. eCollection 2020.

Application of latent class analysis in assessing the awareness, attitude, practice and satisfaction of paediatricians on sleep disorder management in children in Italy

Luana Nosetti  1 , Maria Giovanna Paglietti  2 , Luigia Brunetti  3 , Luigi Masini  4 , Stefania La Grutta  5 , Giovanna Cilluffo  5 , Giuliana Ferrante  6 , Marco Zaffanello  7 , Elisabetta Verrillo  2 , Martino Pavone  2 , Alessandra Cristina Niespolo  1 , Giacomo Broggi  8 , Renato Cutrera  2 ; IPRS (SIMRI)Task Force on Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB-TF)
Affiliations

Application of latent class analysis in assessing the awareness, attitude, practice and satisfaction of paediatricians on sleep disorder management in children in Italy

Luana Nosetti et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Aim: To identify subgroups regarding paediatricians' awareness, attitude, practice and satisfaction about management of Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) in Italy using Latent Class Analysis (LCA).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a large sample of Italian paediatricians. Using a self-administered questionnaire, the study collected information on 420 Paediatric Hospital Paediatricians (PHPs) and 594 Family Care Paediatricians (FCPs). LCA was used to discover underlying response patterns, thus allowing identification of respondent groups with similar awareness, attitude, practice and satisfaction. A logistic regression model was used to investigate which independent variables influenced latent class membership. Analyses were performed using R 3.5.2 software. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Two classes were identified: Class 1 (n = 368, 36.29%) "Untrained and poorly satisfied" and Class 2 (n = 646, 63.71%) "Trained and satisfied." Involving paediatric pneumologists or otorhinolaryngologists in clinical practice was associated with an increased probability of Class 2 membership (OR = 5.88, 95%CI [2.94-13.19]; OR = 15.95, 95% CI [10.92-23.81] respectively). Examining more than 20 children with SDB during the last month decreased the probability of Class 2 membership (OR = 0.29, 95% CI [0.14-0.61]). FCPs showed a higher probability of Class 2 membership than PHPs (OR = 4.64, 95% CI [3.31-6.55]).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the LCA approach can provide important information on how education and training could be tailored for different subgroups of paediatricians. In Italy standardized educational interventions improving paediatricians' screening of SDB are needed in order to guarantee efficient management of children with SDB and reduce the burden of disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Radar plot comparing PHP and FCP answers to the SleepPed questionnaire.
PHPs: Paediatric Hospital Paediatricians; FCPs: Family Care Paediatricians.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Radar plot comparing Class 1, “Untrained and poorly satisfied” and Class 2 “Trained and satisfied”.
Fig 3
Fig 3. OR and 95% confidence intervals from the logistic regression for Class 2 membership.
PHPs: Paediatric Hospital Paediatricians; FCPs: Family Care Paediatricians; SDB: Sleep-Disordered Breathing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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