Name
E04 A Clinician's Guide to Supporting the Pregnant Patient with Opioid Use Disorder
Date & Time
Friday, February 22, 2019, 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Description
The number of pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) at labor and delivery has quadrupled from 1999 to 2014. OUD during pregnancy is associated with a range of negative health outcomes for both mothers and their babies, including maternal death, preterm birth, stillbirth and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). By ensuring pregnant women have access to medication-assisted treatment and additional services, we can help to reduce the burden of OUD on pregnant women and infants. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) continually updates its guidelines for best practices and recommends every pregnant patient be screened for opioid use disorder. If a pregnant patient has opioid use disorder, opioid agonist pharmacotherapy is the recommended therapy and preferred over medically supervised withdrawal because withdrawal is associated with high relapse rates, which lead to worse outcomes. As a provider, you can help by assessing pregnant patients for opioid use disorder. Once patients with OUD are identified, you can refer them to treatment. Caring for pregnant women spans across many system partners, and coordinated care and education is critical to help improve the outcomes for women and infants.