The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

5051.0: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - Board 8

Abstract #37088

Integrating Substance Abuse Screening into Primary Prenatal Care

Ira J. Chasnoff, MD, Director, Children's Research Triangle, 200 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60604 and Ellen M Hutchins, ScD, MSW, Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau/HRSA, Parklawn Bldg - Room 11A-05, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301/443-9534, ichasnoff@cr-triangle.org.

The use of alcohol or illicit drugs by the pregnant woman remains a frequently missed diagnosis. The goals of this demonstration project implemented in Illinois include:

. Evaluate efficacy of the 4P's Plus screening instrument to detect alcohol use during pregnancy.

. Determine prevalence and level of risk for substance use in a population of pregnant women.

. Implement an alcohol screening program into a prenatal setting and determine "lessons learned" as to what motivates prenatal providers to screen for substances during pregnancy.

A total of 604 women in three prenatal care sites were eligible for screening. The rate of screening went from 5% prior to the study to 90% during the study. 201 (37%) of the women were found to be at moderate risk, and 113 women (21%)were at high risk for substance abuse. 97(86%) had a full psychosocial assessment completed. Of the 97 pregnant women assessed, 29(30%) were found to be actively using alcohol or illicit drugs, 5.3% of the overall study population.

Throughout this project, prenatal care providers significantly increased their rate of screening. We found the 4P's Plus to be readily accepted by prenatal providers and effective in identifying those pregnant women at highest risk for substance abuse.

This poster session will summarize the findings from this demonstration project.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Alcohol Use, Prenatal Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Prenatal care services and outreach programs

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA