Medical students' attitudes toward pregnant women with substance use disorders.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to determine whether medical students' attendance at a clinic designed for pregnant substance users would yield changes in their attitudes toward the special needs of this population.


METHODS
This prospective study involved 104 consecutive third-year students rotating on our obstetrics-gynecology clerkship. Students were assigned to attend either a half day prenatal clinic designed specifically for women with substance use disorders during the first 4 weeks (study group) or during the second 4 weeks (control group). Each answered a confidential 24-question survey (using a 5-point scale from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree"), dealing with comfort levels and attitudes, at the beginning and midway points of the 8-week clerkship. Student t tests were used for comparisons of averaged scores.


RESULTS
At the beginning of the clerkship, no differences were found between the study (n = 52) and control groups (n = 52) in their responses to the survey. Regardless of gender, students who attended the clinic reported they became more comfortable in talking with patients about their substance use (P < .001) and more nonjudgmental in treating these patients (P < .02). Compared with before the clerkship, the control group became less comfortable in talking with these patients about their habits (P < .01), less aware about the prevalence of substance abuse during pregnancy (P < .02), and less aware about the efficacy of counselors (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Medical students became more comfortable and better informed about pregnant women with substance use disorders after attending a clinic dedicated toward this population's special needs.
Ramirez-Cacho
William A
WA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
Strickland
Lisa
L
Beraun
Cristina
C
Meng
Chen
C
Rayburn
William F
WF
D001290:Attitude; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires