Leah Holcomb , Rachel Mayo , Jennifer Barkin , Kathleen Cartmell , Lior Rennert , Lori Dickes , Kacey Eichelberger
{"title":"Reproductive healthcare professionals’ comfort to treat postpartum patients with substance use disorders","authors":"Leah Holcomb , Rachel Mayo , Jennifer Barkin , Kathleen Cartmell , Lior Rennert , Lori Dickes , Kacey Eichelberger","doi":"10.1016/j.pec.2025.109276","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Despite the increasing prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) in pregnant and postpartum people (PPP), little is known about reproductive healthcare professionals' (RHPs) comfort with SUD counseling, including screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT). Understanding these factors is essential to improving early identification of SUD and improved care delivery. This study employed a novel Likert-scale survey to assess RHPs’ self-reported comfort with the SBIRT approach for PPP. Qualitative data was collected via open ended questions to explore perceptions of necessary training and resources to enhance support for PPPs with SUDs.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a national sample of RHPs (n = 117). The survey captured comfort in the SBIRT approach in postpartum patient care delivery via two vignettes and associated Likert scales measuring overall comfort. The survey was assessed for validity and reliability. Analysis of free text responses within the survey explored perceptions of necessary training and resources to improve care delivery.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Participants were mostly White (77.8 %) and female (93.2 %), and ages ranged 22–55 years. The opioid, methamphetamine, and overall comfort scales demonstrated strong internal reliability (Cronbach’s α =.83,.81, and.90, respectively). The mean comfort score was 61.35 (SD=10.83). Profession type (p < 0.001), prior SUD-specific training (p = 0.002), and higher SUD patient volume (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with increased comfort. Qualitative themes emphasized the need for expanded perinatal SUD education, stigma reduction, and integrated, trauma-informed care to reduce resource gaps in postpartum screening, mental health services, and peer support programs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Health professionals report a need for expanded access to postpartum-specific SUD training and increased referral options to assist patients.</div></div><div><h3>Practice implications</h3><div>Future interventions to increase the comfort and capacity of RHPs for screening, briefly intervening, and referring postpartum patients with SUD are necessary to improve care delivery for this high-risk population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49714,"journal":{"name":"Patient Education and Counseling","volume":"140 ","pages":"Article 109276"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Patient Education and Counseling","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738399125006433","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective
Despite the increasing prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) in pregnant and postpartum people (PPP), little is known about reproductive healthcare professionals' (RHPs) comfort with SUD counseling, including screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT). Understanding these factors is essential to improving early identification of SUD and improved care delivery. This study employed a novel Likert-scale survey to assess RHPs’ self-reported comfort with the SBIRT approach for PPP. Qualitative data was collected via open ended questions to explore perceptions of necessary training and resources to enhance support for PPPs with SUDs.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a national sample of RHPs (n = 117). The survey captured comfort in the SBIRT approach in postpartum patient care delivery via two vignettes and associated Likert scales measuring overall comfort. The survey was assessed for validity and reliability. Analysis of free text responses within the survey explored perceptions of necessary training and resources to improve care delivery.
Results
Participants were mostly White (77.8 %) and female (93.2 %), and ages ranged 22–55 years. The opioid, methamphetamine, and overall comfort scales demonstrated strong internal reliability (Cronbach’s α =.83,.81, and.90, respectively). The mean comfort score was 61.35 (SD=10.83). Profession type (p < 0.001), prior SUD-specific training (p = 0.002), and higher SUD patient volume (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with increased comfort. Qualitative themes emphasized the need for expanded perinatal SUD education, stigma reduction, and integrated, trauma-informed care to reduce resource gaps in postpartum screening, mental health services, and peer support programs.
Conclusion
Health professionals report a need for expanded access to postpartum-specific SUD training and increased referral options to assist patients.
Practice implications
Future interventions to increase the comfort and capacity of RHPs for screening, briefly intervening, and referring postpartum patients with SUD are necessary to improve care delivery for this high-risk population.
期刊介绍:
Patient Education and Counseling is an interdisciplinary, international journal for patient education and health promotion researchers, managers and clinicians. The journal seeks to explore and elucidate the educational, counseling and communication models in health care. Its aim is to provide a forum for fundamental as well as applied research, and to promote the study of organizational issues involved with the delivery of patient education, counseling, health promotion services and training models in improving communication between providers and patients.