Obstetrician-gynecologists’ practices and attitudes on substance use screening during pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To describe obstetrician-gynecologists’ practices and attitudes related to substance use screening in pregnant patients. STUDY DESIGN: A 2017 cross-sectional survey assessed U.S. obstetrician-gynecologists’ (n=462; response rate=34%) practices (substance use screening frequency and methods) and attitudes (practice priority of screening, confidence in treating, and responsibility statements). Chi-squared tests and adjusted modified Poisson regression were used to estimate associations between practices and attitudes. RESULTS: Of 353 respondents with screening information, 79% frequently screen for substance use and 11% used a validated instrument. Confidence was highest for treating pregnant patients using tobacco (81%). Respondents whose practices make it a high priority to screen for all substances were 1.2 times as likely to frequently screen as their counterparts (95% CI: 1.1–1.3). CONCLUSIONS: Four out of five obstetricians-gynecologists reported a high frequency of substance use screening in pregnant patients. Findings highlight the importance of increasing priority of substance use screening by obstetrician-gynecologists.