Irish doctors poor knowledge of steroids, frequently asked for steroids by patients

[Steroid News]

Patients asking for anabolic steroids
[SIZE=-1]Irish Medical Times, Ireland [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Some 12 per cent of Irish GPs indicated that they had received a request for anabolic steroids from a coach or an athlete without medical indications, a DCU survey, reported in the Irish Medical Journal, has found. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]A further six per cent had received requests for other prohibited substances without medical indications. GPs were asked if they had ever prescribed medication for what they may have deemed legitimate medical reasons, but had subsequently felt the medication was used by an athlete to improve sporting performance. Results show that three per cent of GPs had felt this way, most often when prescribing beta-2 agonists and anabolic agents.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=-1]Irish GPs have poor knowledge of doping, which is consistent with their European colleagues, the study found[/SIZE]
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General Practitioners Knowledge, Practice and Training Requirements in Relation to Doping in Sport
CB Woods, A Moynihan
School of Health and Human Performance, Dublin City University, Dublin 9

Abstract
This study examined General Practitioner’s (GP) knowledge, practice and training requirements in relation to doping in sport in Ireland. All 2,083 GPs on the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) register received a postal questionnaire, yielding a 37% response rate (N=771, 63% male, average age 46.2 ± 9SD, range 28-74 years). Results revealed that 14% (112) deemed their knowledge of doping agents to be good or very good, 12% (94) had completed specific training modules in doping or sport, and 24% (183) were connected with a specific sport as a team doctor/advisor. Over one in four (28%: 217) had been consulted for advice on doping in Sport, 33% (256) possessed the current list of prohibited substances, and 25% (190) knew of the Irish Sports Council’s drug-testing procedures. The current initiatives to discourage doping in sport were felt to be ineffective, and although 92% (716) indicated that GPs had a role to play in the prevention of doping in sport, only 9% (66) felt adequately trained for such a role. There was overwhelming support for further training among GPs, although the most appropriate method of providing training is complex and requires strategic planning.

Irish Medical Journal