The workshop was cosponsored by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. At the workshop, attendees agreed routine screenings for substance abuse should be provided to women throughout pregnancy and said limiting opioid use for healthy women after delivery should be an important component of initiatives launched to mitigate opioid abuse.
Attendees said additional research is needed to establish best practices for screening expectant mothers for opioid use disorder, treating pregnant women for opioid misuse and caring for infants born with withdrawal symptoms, according to the workshop summary.
“The workshop highlighted the need for effective, interdisciplinary care for women with opioid use disorder,” said the study’s lead author, Uma Reddy, MD, of the NICHD. “A pregnant woman and her newborn encounter different medical teams at every stage — prenatal visits, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. Specialists need to work together throughout the process to optimize care and long-term outcomes for families.”
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