Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes of Perinatal Substance Abuse

Objectives: To measure nurses' knowledge of breastfeeding, assess nurses' attitudes towards perinatal substance abuse, and identify the perception of breastfeeding infants affected by neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Online survey. Participants: Nurses (N=104) who are members of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and subscribe to their perinatal listserv were invited to participate via email. Methods: Participants completed a survey, which included a modified version of the Attitudes about Drug Abuse in Pregnancy (AADAP) questionnaire, knowledge questions, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted. Results: Most nurses (88.46%) have cared for a newborn affected by NAS or their mother before, and every respondent has cared for an opioid-addicted patient. Most nurse respondents (82.69%) reported breastfeeding being a very common topic of discussion with patients, yet 78 (75%) reported being poorly prepared by nursing school in this topic. Despite this, the majority answered the knowledge questions correctly. Most respondents (94.23%) reported that they would assess the possibility of breastfeeding for women who used drugs during pregnancy, and 39.42% expressed that prenatal drug use should be considered child abuse. Conclusion: Despite feeling angry at mothers who perinatally abuse drugs, nurses recognize the benefits of breastfeeding for these patients. Self-assessment can help nurses identify personal bias and implement evidence-based nursing interventions