Perinatal illicit drug screening practices in mother-newborn dyads at a university hospital serving rural/semi-urban communities: translation of research to quality improvement.
OBJECTIVE
To determine staff compliance with the hospital perinatal illicit drug screening-intervention and the prevalence of dyads that are not tested who present with risk factors indicating the need for testing.


METHODS
This is a retrospective, controlled chart review of mother/newborn dyads presenting to a university hospital for delivery services in 2002 and 2003. Group 1 included all dyads, in which the newborns were tested for illegal drugs after delivery (n = 121). Group 2 included every 25th delivery that did not qualify for Group 1 (n = 107). The documentation rate of demographic characteristics and risk factors were compared.


RESULTS
Multiple risk factors were documented in 95.9% of the Group 1 dyads and 32.7% of the Group 2 dyads (p < 0.0001). However, 50 mothers in Group 2 with risk factors, eligible for urine drug testing were not tested. In Group 2, 35.5% of newborns were eligible for drug testing, but were not tested. Twelve infants were not tested when their mothers were tested and two infants were not tested when their mothers tested positive during the study period.


CONCLUSIONS
The data in the present study revealed the necessity of a staff-training program and the revision of the hospital perinatal illicit drug screening practices- intervention.
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Department of Pediatrics, Iowa City, USA.
Resmiye
R
Oral
Feyza
F
Koc
Emine O
EO
Bayman
Abraham
A
Assad
Andrea
A
Austin
Tara
T
Strang
Levent
L
Bayman
D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000097:blood; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000592:standards; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
D013287:Illicit Drugs