Pediatrician's knowledge on the management of the infant who cries excessively in the first months of life

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the attitude, the practice and the knowledge of pediatricians regarding the management of the infant who cries excessively in the first months of life. METHODS Descriptive cross-sectional study that enrolled pediatricians (n=132) randomly interviewed at a Pediatric meeting in Brazil, in August 2012. The data were collected by a self-administered standardized form after reading the hypothetical case of an infant who cried excessively. RESULTS The majority of the participants were females, the mean age was 39 years and the average mean time working in the specialty was 14 years; 52.2% were Board Certified by the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics. The diagnosis most often considered was gastroesophageal reflux disease (62.9%), followed by infant colic (23.5%) and cow's milk allergy (6.8%). The diagnostic test most frequently mentioned was 24-hour esophageal pH-monitoring (21.9%). The medications most frequently indicated were domperidone (30.3%), the combination of domperidone with ranitidine (12.1%) and paracetamol (6%). CONCLUSIONS In the approach of the infant who cries excessively, diagnostic tests are frequently requested and unnecessary medical treatment is usually recommended.