Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder diagnostic clinics in Canada: "It wouldn't happen if nobody wanted it to happen".

BACKGROUND

We address the question: If you wanted to start a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) diagnostic clinic, what would you need to do, think about, and plan for, from a policy perspective? Our aims were to understand how clinics are developed and established and the key factors that facilitate their success.

METHOD: Within a pragmatist epistemology, we conducted a basic qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Interviews were conducted with 12 key informants from 10 diagnostic clinics. Data were analysed using iterative thematic analysis.

RESULTS

We derived five themes pertaining to our objectives: (i) listening and responding to your community; (ii) community buy-in and practical steps; (iii) multidisciplinary team trust, respect, and collaboration; (iv) the clinic coordinator; and (v) promoting uniqueness and learning from each other.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrated the importance of local, community-based planning, team cohesion, and opportunities for mentorship in the development of new FASD clinical services.