Trainees' knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards caring for the substance-exposed mother-infant dyad

Expanding Medical Education to Include Substance Use Disorders During Pregnancy and Postpartum: Preliminary Effectiveness of a Pilot Curriculum for Medical Students

OBJECTIVE

To effectively combat the simultaneous overdose and maternal mortality crises, a multimodal approach is needed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of a pilot, experiential learning, substance use disorder (SUD) curriculum embedded into a third-year medical student obstetrics and gynecology clerkship to improve self-reported confidence in SUD clinical skills.

METHODS

This SUD curriculum was designed and implemented in an outpatient clinic, which provides integrated obstetric, gynecologic, and addiction medicine services for pregnant and parenting people with SUD. Third-year medical students on their obstetrics and gynecology clerkship rotated 1 full day through the OB MOTIVATE clinic between August 2020 and April 2022 and completed this curriculum. Students completed preclinic assignments and in-clinic tasks (eg, practicing SBIRT under supervision: screening, brief intervention, referral to treatment). Paired t tests assessed changes in outcomes, with increasing scores (range 1-5) demonstrating improvement.

RESULTS

Sixty-three students rotated through the OB MOTIVATE clinic; 57 completed the curriculum and surveys. Results from the self-assessment tools demonstrated significant improvements in confidence in SUD clinical skills, including performing SBIRT (2.46 ± 0.80 vs 4.07 ± 0.59, P < 0.01), motivational interviewing (2.98 ± 0.86 vs 4.16 ± 0.65, P < 0.01), using evidence-based medicine (2.91 ± 1.09 vs 4.23 ± 0.66, P < 0.01), and collecting an SUD history (3.25 ± 1.04 vs 4.35 ± 0.55, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The integration of interventional curriculums into medical school and residency programs could be an effective avenue to reinforce addiction knowledge and teach new skills. This practical 1-day pilot curriculum demonstrated preliminary effectiveness at introducing third-year medical students to the complexities of SUD in pregnancy and postpartum. Further investigations of feasible and acceptable SUD educational interventions are warranted.

Priorities for Well Child Care of Families Affected by Parental Opioid Use Disorder

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Parenting women in treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) report a lack of family centeredness and anticipatory guidance within well child care (WCC), and WCC utilization is low among affected children. We explore priorities for WCC visit content to inform primary care recommendations for this population.

METHODS

This study is a qualitative study of parenting women from one urban, academic OUD treatment program and pediatric primary care clinicians from a nearby affiliated pediatric practice. Eligible parent participants had a child ≤2 years old and were English speaking. Semistructured interviews elicited perspectives on WCC, with questions and prompts related to visit content. Inductive thematic analysis was led by 2 investigators using open coding procedures.

RESULTS

Among 30 parent participants, the majority were White (83%) and unmarried (90%). Approximately 60% reported their child received pharmacotherapy for neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Of 13 participating clinicians, 9 were attending pediatricians. Five themes emerged from parental and clinician interviews: (1) improving knowledge and confidence related to child development, behavior, and nutrition; (2) mitigating safety concerns; (3) addressing complex health and subspecialty needs through care coordination; (4) acknowledging parental health and wellbeing in the pediatric encounter; and (5) supporting health education and care related to neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Parents and clinicians expressed difficulty comprehensively addressing such issues due to time constraints, social determinants of health, and significant informational needs.

CONCLUSIONS

Parenting women in treatment for OUD and pediatric clinicians share multiple priorities for anticipatory guidance within WCC visits and barriers to addressing them comprehensively.

Psychometric Testing of the Caregiver Attitudes on Substance Use in Pregnancy Instrument

OBJECTIVE

To modify an existing instrument used to measure the attitudes of perinatal nursing caregivers about pregnant women with substance use disorder (SUD) and to psychometrically test the new instrument: Caregiver Attitudes on Substance Use in Pregnancy (CASUD-OB).

DESIGN

Instrument modification and psychometric testing of results from a modified instrument.

SETTING

Multi-hospital health care system in the midwestern United States.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 147 perinatal nursing caregivers (perinatal nurses: n = 131; unlicensed assistive personnel: n = 16) who worked on obstetric and neonatal nursing units.

METHODS

We modified the existing instrument, and 12 experts in perinatal nursing (1 who also had expertise in SUD in the perinatal period) evaluated the items for content validity. We administered the CASUD-OB via online survey between November 2019 and December 2019. We used item reduction, calculated item-total correlations, and conducted exploratory factor analysis to modify the instrument and assessed its internal consistency.

RESULTS

After psychometric testing, we reduced the number of items from 26 to 16. Through item reduction and exploratory factor analysis, we identified three subscales (Caregiver Bias, Caregiver Self-Awareness, and Caregiver Perception of Parental Fitness). The Cronbach's alpha for the overall instrument was .92.

CONCLUSION

This study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that the CASUD-OB may be a valid and reliable instrument for measuring nurses' attitudes toward pregnant women with SUD. Through additional testing, this instrument has the potential to become a valuable resource to evaluate quality improvement initiatives, staff education programs, and other interventions designed to transform the attitudes of nursing caregivers toward pregnant women with SUD.

Opportunities to Increase Well-Child Care Engagement for Families Affected by Maternal Opioid Use Disorder: Perceptions of Mothers and Clinicians

OBJECTIVE

Previous research suggests gaps in well-child care (WCC) adherence, quality, and effectiveness for children impacted by parental opioid use disorder (OUD). The objective of this study was to gather in-depth information regarding maternal and clinician-reported factors that enhance ("facilitators") or hinder ("barriers") WCC engagement as well as mothers' experiences during WCC visits.

METHODS

Thirty mothers who were in treatment for OUD and 13 clinicians working at a pediatric primary care clinic participated in this qualitative study. All participants completed one data collection telephone session which involved a brief questionnaire followed by a semi-structured interview. Thematic analyses of the interview transcripts were conducted using an inductive approach.

RESULTS

Three broad themes were identified as facilitators of WCC by mothers and clinicians, including: 1) continuity in care, 2) addressing material needs, and 3) clinician OUD training and knowledge. Themes identified as barriers to WCC included: 1) stigma toward mothers with OUD, 2) gaps in basic parenting knowledge, 3) competing specialized health care needs, and 4) insufficient time to address all concerns.

CONCLUSION

WCC programs or clinical pathways designed for families affected by maternal OUD should consider these barriers and facilitators of WCC engagement and affect experiences of WCC for mothers and clinicians.

Beyond opioid prescribing: Evaluation of a substance use disorder curriculum for OBGYN residents

Objective

Amidst the current opioid crisis, there is a need for better integration of substance use disorder screening and treatment across specialties. However, there is no consensus regarding how to best instruct OBGYN trainees in the clinical skills related to opioid and other substance use disorders (SUD). Study objectives were (1) to assess the effectiveness a SUD curriculum to improve self-reported competence among OBGYN residents and (2) to explore its effectiveness to improve attending evaluations of residents’ clinical skills as well as its feasibility and acceptability from the resident perspective.

Methods

A pilot 3-session curriculum was developed and adapted to SUD screening and treatment which included readings, didactics, and supervised outpatient clinical experiences for OBGYN post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) residents rotating through an integrated OBGYN-SUD clinic. Eighteen residents completed pre and post clinical skills self-assessments (SUD screening, counseling, referring, Motivational Interviewing) using an adapted Zwisch Rating Scale (range 1–5). Scores were compared between time points using paired t-tests. Sub-samples also (a) were evaluated by the attending on three relevant Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestones (ACGME) milestone sets using the web-based feedback program, myTIPreport (n = 10) and (b) completed a qualitative interview (n = 4).

Results

All PGY-1s (18/18) across three academic years completed the 3-session SUD curriculum. Clinical skill self-assessments improved significantly in all areas [SUD Screening (2.44 (0.98) vs 3.56 (0.62), p = <0.01); Counseling (1.81 (0.71) vs 3.56 (0.51), p = < .01; Referring (2.03 (0.74) vs 3.17 (0.71), p = < .01; Motivational Interviewing (1.94 (1.06) vs 3.33 (0.69), p = < .01)]. Milestone set levels assigned by attending evaluations (n = 10) also improved. Qualitative data (n = 4) revealed high acceptability; all curriculum components were viewed positively, and feedback was provided (e.g., desire for more patient exposures).

Conclusion

A pilot SUD curriculum tailored for OBGYN PGY-1 residents that goes beyond opioid prescribing to encompass SUD management is feasible, acceptable and likely effective at improving SUD core clinical skills.

Factors influencing medical students' attitudes towards substance use during pregnancy

BACKGROUND

People with substance use disorder, and pregnant women especially, are subject to a lot of stigmas, which can prevent optimal accessibility and quality of care. In this survey, we investigated attitudes of final year medical students regarding substance use during pregnancy and identified the factors that influence these attitudes.

METHOD

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 and 2020 in Belgium using the short version of the "Substance Abuse Attitude Survey" questionnaire. We focused on two items regarding punishment of substance use during pregnancy. We analysed the concordance between these two, their correlation with other items (e.g. stereotyping, morality, forced withdrawal, low treatment optimism) and the association between respondents' opinion on punishment and their sociodemographic data.

RESULTS

The response rate was 65.2% (370/567 online and face-to face questionnaires). 19.2% of respondents were in favour of punishment for alcohol use (n = 353) and 15.1% for drug use (n = 356) during pregnancy. The agreement analysis between the two items showed that 14.3% of students were in favour of punishing both pregnant women who use drugs and those using alcohol. Respondents tended to be more in favour of punishment if they were male students, older, their mothers' had a lower education level or had no personal or family history of substance use. Attitudes appeared to be more punitive among students with limited contact with people with substance use disorder (i.e. none or limited to hospital). Students intending to specialise in internal medicine were more in favour of punishment of women whereas none of those intending to specialise in psychiatry were in favour.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that about 20% of surveyed medical students favoured punishing substance-using pregnant women. Awareness and training work seems to be necessary to ensure adequate care and support for this already vulnerable population.

Assessing Stigma Towards Substance Use in Pregnancy: A Randomized Study Testing the Impact of Stigmatizing Language and Type of Opioid Use on Attitudes Toward Mothers With Opioid Use Disorder

OBJECTIVE

To examine the extent to which colloquial phrases used to describe opioid-exposed mother-infant dyads affects attitudes toward mothers with opioid use disorder (OUD) to assess the role stigmatizing language may have on the care of mothers with OUD.

METHODS

We employed a randomized, cross-sectional, case vignette of an opioid-exposed dyad, varying on 2 factors: (1) language to describe newborn ("substance-exposed newborn" vs "addicted baby") and (2) type of maternal opioid use (injection heroin vs nonmedical use of prescription opioids). Participants were recruited using an online survey platform. Substance-related stigma, punitive-blaming, and supportive scales were constructed to assess attitudes. Two-way analyses of variance were conducted to determine mean scale differences by vignette. Posthoc analyses assessed individual item-level differences.

RESULTS

Among 1227 respondents, we found a small statistical difference between language and opioid type factors for the supportive scale only (F = 4.31, η2 = .004, P = 0.038), with greater agreement with supportive statements when describing injection heroin use, compared to prescription opioid use, for the "substance-exposed newborn" vignette only. In posthoc analyses, greater than 85% of respondents agreed the mother was "responsible for her opioid use," her "addiction was caused by poor choices," and that she "put her baby in danger."

CONCLUSIONS

We found no major differences in attitudes regardless of vignette received. Overall, respondents supported opportunities for maternal recovery yet blamed women, describing mothers as culpable for causing harm to their newborn, showcasing internally conflicting views. These views could contribute to ongoing stigma and avoidance of care among pregnant women with OUD.

Educational Practices for Providers of Trauma-Informed Care: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

As more is learned about trauma and the ways in which trauma informed care (TIC) is provided, it is important to explore the education and training offered to those individuals who provide TIC.

PURPOSE

This scoping review examined training provided to individuals who interact with persons aged birth to 21 years old who have experienced or are experiencing trauma.

METHOD

The researchers searched six databases and identified 16 peer-reviewed articles in the areas of medicine/nursing, social work, and education published from 2012 to 2019 that met inclusion criteria.

DISCUSSION

Although most training protocols had a similar foundation, the findings from this review suggested that trauma informed care training practices vary across disciplines.

CONCLUSIONS

As training approaches varied greatly across disciplines, a conclusion on best practice guidelines cannot be stated for the professional environments.

Comprehensive and compassionate responses for opioid use disorder among pregnant and parenting women

Pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder face multiple challenges to recovery. Trauma histories, poverty, stigma and discrimination, and lack of access to treatment intersect to marginalise this population. It is important that pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder receive comprehensive care to improve their health, the health of their child(ren), and prevent the intergenerational transmission of opioid and other substance use disorders. For nearly 50 years the Maternal Addiction Treatment, Education, and Research program has provided an evolving and expanding range of comprehensive services for treating opioid and other substance use disorders in this population. In this review the rationale for, and processes by which, key components of a comprehensive approach are discussed. These components include patient navigation for access to care, low-barrier medications for opioid use disorder, effective trauma-responsive therapy, prenatal and well-child healthcare, and other support services that make it possible for pregnant and parenting women to engage in treatment and improve the health of the entire family. Additionally, a method for supporting staff to build resilience and reduce fatigue and burnout is discussed. These components comprise an effective model of care for pregnant and parenting women with opioid and other substance use disorders.

The Application of Trauma-Informed Care to Substance Use Disorder

Trauma-informed care (TIC) has been described to apply to several groups of traumatized patient/families in the NICU. Trauma is multidimensional, including physical and psychological injuries with long-term effects on well-being and function. A newborn experiences the best outcomes when the mother also experiences the best outcomes. Thus, the TIC approach is applicable to the care of the infant with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and mother. Organizational adoption of this model is likely to provide a supportive and therapeutic environment for the infant with NAS and family.

Intertwined disparities: Applying the maternal-infant dyad lens to advance perinatal health equity

Differences in the quality of delivery hospital care contribute to persistent, intertwined racial and ethnic disparities in both maternal and infant health. Despite the shared causal pathways and overlapping burden of maternal and infant health disparities, little research on perinatal quality of care has addressed obstetric and neonatal care jointly to improve outcomes and reduce health inequities for the maternal-infant dyad. In this paper, we review the role of hospital quality in shaping perinatal health outcomes, and investigate how a framework that considers the mother-infant dyad can enhance our understanding of the full burden of obstetric and neonatal disparities on health and society. We conclude with a discussion of how integrating a maternal-infant dyad lens into research and clinical intervention to improve quality of care can move the needle on disparity reduction for both women and infants around the time of birth and throughout the life course.

Impact of cuddler service-learning program in medical student education of opioid use disorder in pregnancy and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome

Background: Given the increasing incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), medical student training on substance use disorders (SUDs) and opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy must be augmented. Through the Cuddling Assists in Lowering Maternal and Infant Stress (CALM) service-learning program, medical students attend SUD-related didactics and provide monthly cuddling services to infants with NOWS. Objective: This study examines the impact of CALM on medical students' attitudes toward individuals with SUDs and self-reported comfort with clinical skills related to caring for this population. Methods: Self-reported pre- and post-survey data was collected at the beginning and end of an academic year from the intervention group, CALM cuddlers, and the control group, non-cuddlers for 2 years. Mean total survey scores and individual survey questions using a 3-point Likert scale were compared before and after 1 year of participation for cuddlers and for non-cuddlers using paired t-tests and two sample t-tests. Results: The mean total score increased for cuddlers after participation in the intervention (MD 0.13, SD 0.26, p = 0.03). Mean scores for the comfort-related subset of questions also increased significantly for cuddlers after participation in the intervention (MD 0.22, SD 0.41, p = 0.01). Cuddlers felt more comfortable discussing substance use with appropriate language (72.0% vs 51.5%, p = 0.03), talking with patients about substance use (72.0% vs 36.0%, p = 0.01), and asking about substance use or recovery (80.0% vs 48.0%, p = 0.01). Conclusion: OUD- and NOWS-related service-learning positively impacts student attitudes and self-reported comfort with skills related to caring for individuals with SUDs, such as communicating about substance use.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Maternity Nurses and Ancillary Team Members about Substance Addiction during Pregnancy and Postpartum

OBJECTIVE

To describe knowledge and attitudes of maternity nurses and other ancillary direct caregivers about addictive substance use by pregnant women and new mothers and to evaluate their perceptions of role preparation, resources available, and educational needs.

STUDY DESIGN METHODS

We surveyed maternity nurses and ancillary members of the maternity care team to assess knowledge and attitudes about caring for women with addictive substance use. Data were analyzed using descriptive, parametric, and nonparametric statistics.

RESULTS

Respondents (N = 109) from a southwestern Magnet community hospital were 100% female, predominantly nurses (89%), and worked mostly on mother-baby or labor and delivery units. They had high average knowledge scores and most had positive attitudes. When asked about preparation to care for pregnant women and new mothers with addictive substance use, some perceived that they were not able to carry out their role due to lack of knowledge.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Findings suggest most maternity nurses have the knowledge and skills they believe are needed to care for women who use addictive substances during pregnancy and postpartum. Most have positive attitudes, but approximately one third may need interventions to encourage and further support empathy and acceptance. Education and skill-building for maternity nurses and other team members related to caring for women using addictive substances may be worth consideration; however, there is minimal evidence of their efficacy. Evaluations of these types of programs are needed in maternity settings.

Systems Measures of a Trauma-Informed Approach: A Systematic Review

Interest in trauma-informed approaches has grown substantially. These approaches are characterized by integrating understanding of trauma throughout a program, organization, or system to enhance the quality, effectiveness, and delivery of services provided to individuals and groups. However, variation in definitions of trauma-informed approaches, coupled with underdeveloped research on measurement, poses challenges for evaluating the effectiveness of models designed to support a trauma-informed approach. This systematic review of peer-reviewed and gray literature identified 49 systems-based measures that were created to assess the extent to which relational, organizational, and community/system practices were trauma-informed. Measures were included if they assessed at least one component of a trauma-informed approach, were not screening or diagnostic instruments, were standardized, were relevant to practices addressing the psychological impacts of trauma, were printed in English, and were published between 1988 and 2018. Most (77.6%) measures assessed organizational-level staff and climate characteristics. There remain several challenges to this emerging field, including inconsistently reported psychometric data, redundancy across measures, insufficient evidence of a link to stakeholder outcomes, and limited information about measurement development processes. We discuss these opportunities and challenges and their implications for future research and practice.

Accelerating the Pace of Science: Improving Parenting Practices in Parents with Opioid Use Disorder

A public health emergency exists in the United States as a result of rising overdose deaths related to Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). With the rise of OUD has also come an increase in the number of children exposed to parents who suffer from an OUD. There is a pressing need for parenting interventions for individuals with OUD to provide safe environments for the children being reared in the face of this epidemic. Research on parenting with an OUD is sparse, but it is impractical to move linearly from basic research to program development and implementation given the urgent need for intervention - a trajectory that prior research has established takes approximately 17 years. We have created an outline of strategies that can be used to accelerate the pace of science so that parenting practices are more immediately improved for this population. First, we summarize what is already known about OUD and parenting to characterize mechanisms that existing interventions have targeted and optimal settings for the wide dissemination of implementable interventions. Next, we identify existing interventions that either specifically target parents with OUD or mechanisms specific to parents with OUD. We describe four different approaches for accelerating the pace of science to improve the lives of parents with OUD and their children. By doing so, we hope to provide a roadmap for future researchers and practitioners to deliver more timely evidence-based interventions to address the additional burden placed on families and communities due to the rise in OUD in the United States.

The Joys and Frustrations of Breastfeeding and Rooming-In Among Mothers With Opioid Use Disorder: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate perspectives of mothers with opioid use disorder regarding breastfeeding and rooming-in during the birth hospitalization and identify facilitators and barriers.

METHODS

We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 25 mothers with opioid use disorder 1-12 weeks after delivery. Grounded theory analysis was used until thematic saturation was reached. Findings were triangulated, with experts in the field and a subset of informants themselves, to ensure data reliability.

RESULTS

Among 25 infant-mother dyads, 36% of infants required pharmacologic treatment, 72% of mothers initiated breastfeeding, and 40% continued until discharge. We identified the following themes: (1) information drives maternal feeding choice; (2) the hospital environment is both a source of support and tension for mothers exerting autonomy in the care of their infants; (3) opioid withdrawal symptoms negatively impact breastfeeding; (4) internal and external stigma negatively impact mothers' self-efficacy; (5) mothers' histories of abuse and trauma affect their feeding choice and bonding; (6) mothers' recovery makes caring for their infants emotionally and logistically challenging; and (7) having an infant is a source of resilience and provides a sense of purpose for mothers on their path of recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

Future interventions aimed at increasing breastfeeding and rooming-in during the birth hospitalization should focus on education regarding the benefits of breastfeeding and rooming-in, supporting mothers' autonomy in caring for their infants, minimizing stigma, and maximizing resilience.