TY - JOUR PY - 1992// TI - Nationwide practices for screening and reporting prenatal cocaine abuse: a survey of teaching programs JO - Child abuse and neglect A1 - Pelham, T. L. A1 - DeJong, Allan R. SP - 763 EP - 770 VL - 16 IS - 5 N2 - Questionnaires surveying policies and opinions about prenatal cocaine abuse were sent to training programs nationwide. Eighty-one pediatric and 81 obstetric programs from 42 states responded. Although respondents favored routinely screening all patients by maternal history (81%) and by urine toxicology (36%), only 64% and 8%, respectively, reported these as established policy. Physicians reporting higher regional prenatal cocaine abuse rates more commonly favored universal perinatal screening (p = .009), but established policies were similar regardless of local prevalence (p = .19). Fifty-two percent of respondents were unaware of their state's requirements for reporting prenatal cocaine abuse. While most physicians favored interventions such as voluntary drug rehabilitation (64%) and family support services (64%), some physicians favored foster care placement for the infants (28%) and involuntary drug rehabilitation (31%). Only 3% felt that criminal prosecution of the mother was appropriate. Policies for managing prenatal cocaine abuse often did not reflect physicians' opinions. A multidisciplinary medical, social, and legal approach is needed to develop effective management policies.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0145-2134 UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -