Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting—Pediatric Physician Knowledge, Training, and General Practice Approach

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is outlawed in much of the world but still mainly occurs from infancy-age 15. Many at-risk and FGM/C-affected girls live in the US. No standard pediatric training exists. A questionnaire assessing FGM/C education, knowledge, diagnostic confidence and external genital examination (EGE) approach was sent to pediatric listservs at 3 hospitals and a child abuse pediatrician (CAP) network. Analysis used χ² and Fisher’s exact tests. Compared to general pediatricians, CAP reported more FGM/C education (RR 2.0 [95% CI 1.3–3.2]), awareness of ICD-9/10 codes (RR 3.2 [95% CI 1.4–7.3]), confidence in identifying sub-types (RR 4.5 [95% CI 2.3–8.7]) and discussing FGM/C (RR 4.2 [95% CI 2.3–7.6]). For 6–12 month olds, 10% of general pediatricians reported never performing EGE at female well child visits (WCV), increasing to > 50% for 17–18 year olds. Pediatric physicians are not trained to diagnose or manage FGM/C. EGE are not done at WCVs and FGM/C diagnoses are missed.