title: Alcohol and drug screening of newborns: would women consent?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the conditions under which mothers would consent to alcohol and drug screening of their infants, and to identify predictors of screening consent.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was administered in person by trained research assistants on the postpartum units of three hospitals in a large Canadian urban centre over four months. The survey was administered to 1509 mothers (78.4% of those eligible) who were fluent in English and had given birth within the preceding 48 hours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mothers indicated that they would consent to screening of their newborn (1369/1460, 93.8%), and thought all mothers should consent if infants at risk would be more likely to receive effective treatment (1440/1476, 97.6%). Respondents believed that they would consent to screening if they were provided the following information: what would happen if the infant sample was positive for prenatal exposure (1431/1476, 97%); who would have access to the information (1377/1476, 93.4%); how effective medical care would be for the child (1435/1476, 97.4%); and the likelihood that a baby with a positive screen would have a problem (1444/1476, 98.1%). Self-reported alcohol use did not decrease willingness to consent. In a multivariate model, belief that universal screening would not make women feel discriminated against was a significant predictor of consent (adjusted OR 5.9; 95% CI 3.3-10.6).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mothers would support a universal newborn alcohol and drug screening program if there was evidence that screening could lead to effective treatment for the mother and baby, and if appropriate resources were available.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB; Department of Paediatrics, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB.
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Tough
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB.
authors.forename: Shahirose
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Premji
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Benzies
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB.
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB; Department of Paediatrics, University of Calgary and Calgary Health Region, Calgary AB.
authors.forename: Reg
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sauve
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D033282:Parental Consent; D011247:Pregnancy; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires