title: Care of substance-exposed infants: the current state of practice in Canadian hospitals.
abstract: Many practices related to care of infants exposed to drugs and alcohol during th e prenatal period have been developed on an anecdotal basis. There are few available research studies to validate these interventions. This study describes current practices used in daily care, discharge planning, and community support for drug- and alcohol-exposed infants, their families, and alternate caregivers in one country. A survey of Canadian hospitals with annual birth rates of greater than 500 was conducted with a 51% return rate. Variations were noted in the perception of the importance of the issue of perinatal substance use, nursery care, discharge planning, and community support. Nurses are encouraged to consider these results within the context of their own communities to evaluate and develop standards of practice for substance-exposed infants and their families and caregivers.
authors.affiliation: Safe Babies Program, Capital Health Region and the British Columbia Ministry for Child and Family Development, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
authors.forename: Lenora
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marcellus
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration; D008297:Male; D009357:Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing*; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*