Addressing Alcohol Use in Pregnancy.
Ann M Mitchell, Rebecca R Porter, Marilyn Pierce-Bulger and 1 others
PMID 32590587WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses can use a one-minute alcohol screen with pregnant patients, counsel those exceeding limits, and refer severe use.
A cited review found abstinence 2.26 times more likely with screening and counseling.
Key findings
01A cited systematic review found alcohol screening and brief counseling were associated with abstinence 2.26 times more likely in pregnant women than in controls.
02The article recommends nurses screen people of reproductive age with the USAUDIT and provide brief intervention to those who screen positive for excessive alcohol use, including pregnant patients.
03When severe alcohol use disorder is indicated, nurses can refer patients to treatment services.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The paper is guidance, not an original study of patients. The 2.26-times abstinence figure comes from a cited review, not from outcomes measured in this paper. The article does not report how many patients were screened, how dropouts were handled, or the quality of the cited review within this paper.
Declared interests
The authors disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. The conclusions do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that nurse-delivered screening and counseling caused better pregnancy outcomes. The paper is guidance, and the 2.26-times abstinence finding comes from a cited review, not from a trial reported in this article.