The Impact of Social Vulnerability on Substance Use Detection Practices in Pregnancy.

This study aimed to synthesize current literature regarding the impact of social vulnerability on pregnancy-related substance use detection in the United States and highlight disparities in substance use detection practices. Clinicaltrials.gov, Google Scholar, PubMed (includes MEDLINE), and Cochrane Library databases were searched using the following Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): (["pregnancy" or "prenatal"] AND ["substance use screening" or "urine toxicology testing" or "toxicology testing" or "urine drug screening" or "CRAFFT" or "4P's" or "4P's Plus" or "NIDA Quick Screen" or "DAST-10" or "SURP-P" or "WIDUS"], AND ("bias" or "disparities" or "social vulnerability"]). The search included systematic reviews, prospective and retrospective studies, randomized controlled trials, case studies, and qualitative and quantitative research from January 2014 through November 2023. Selected literature was limited to studies published in English, which included a study population of either pregnant individuals or pregnancy health care providers in the United States, and that were focused on inequities in pregnancy substance use detection. Using Covidence, three authors screened abstracts, and two screened full articles for inclusion. The included studies were evaluated for quality of evidence using the mixed methods appraisal tool. The search yielded 4,188 manuscripts; 37 were eligible for full review. A total of 18 manuscripts were included based on the relevancy of the topic. The most common social vulnerability domain identified was minority status (17/18), followed by socioeconomic status (11/18), household characteristics (8/18), and housing type (1/18). Social vulnerability plays a role in substance use detection among pregnant individuals. Most notably, race and ethnicity, age, and public insurance lead to increased rates of detection, though most individual factors need to be studied in greater depth. This study was registered with PROSPERO (PROSPERO ID CRD42022352598), the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. KEY POINTS: · Socially vulnerable pregnant individuals are more likely to receive substance use screening or urine toxicology testing.. · Race, ethnicity, age, and insurance influence substance use detection disparities.. · More research is needed to understand how other characteristics influence disparities in substance use detection..

Maternal Marijuana Exposure and Birth Weight: An Observational Study Surrounding Recreational Marijuana Legalization.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to study the relationship between prenatal marijuana and infant birth weight using natural cohorts established before, during and after the 20-month lapse between legalization and legal recreational sales in Washington State. STUDY DESIGN: Over 5 years, 5,343 pregnant women with documented urine drug screen (UDS) results delivered at Tacoma General Hospital or Good Samaritan Hospital. Maternal medical data were extracted for three delivery cohorts established based on before (T1), during (T2), and after legalization (T3) of recreational marijuana and legalized availability. Univariate and multivariate models were created to study marijuana exposure on infants' birth weight. RESULTS: Marijuana exposure increased the risk of low birth weight (LBW; odds ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-2.01). This was more pronounced in full-term babies (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.10-2.69), and was independently associated with a higher risk for small for gestational age (SGA; OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.49-1.53). The associations between marijuana exposure and SGA were maintained in cohort-specific models (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.01-2.32 for T2, and OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.01-2.02 for T3, respectively). CONCLUSION: Marijuana exposure verified by UDS was associated with LBW and SGA. However, recreational marijuana legalization and availability did not have direct impact on newborns' risk of LBW or SGA.

Demographic Discrepancies in Prenatal Urine Drug Screening in Washington State Surrounding Recreational Marijuana Legalization and Accessibility.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated demographic patterns related to prenatal cannabinoid urine drug screening (UDS) over a 5-year period during which recreational marijuana was legalized and became accessible in Washington State. METHODS: Using electronic health record data, we performed a retrospective analysis for deliveries occurring over a 5-year period that encapsulated the transitions to marijuana legalization and legal access. For three cohorts of women delivering prior to legalization, between legalization and accessibility, and following accessibility, the UDS completion rate and screening demographic characteristics were assessed using Chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: 25,514 deliveries occurred between March 2011 and March 2016. A significantly higher percentage of women underwent UDS post-accessibility (24.5%) compared to pre-legalization (20.0%, p < 0.001). A corresponding increase was not observed in the percentage of marijuana-positive UDS in tested patients (22.7% vs. 23.3%, p = 0.86). African American women had 2.8 times higher odds than Latinas of being tested, 2.1 times higher odds than Asian women, 1.7 times higher odds than White women, and 1.4 times higher odds than women of other races (all p < 0.001). Subsidized insurance status was also strongly associated with increased likelihood of testing (aOR = 3.5, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Prenatal UDS testing patterns changed as recreational marijuana possession and accessibility became legal. Demographic discrepancies in testing reveal biases related to race and insurance status, which may be a proxy for socioeconomic status. As such discrepancies are potential contributors to health outcome disparities, it is important for providers and health care systems to examine their practices and ensure they are being appropriately, equally, and justly applied.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of rubella screening strategies using electronic medical records.

OBJECTIVE: The redundancy of routine laboratory tests in medicine has become increasingly more apparent in the age of electronic medical records (EMRs). The purpose of this study was to determine whether targeted screening strategies are more cost-effective than the current standard of universal screening of pregnant women for immunity to rubella. STUDY DESIGN: A decision analysis model was used to evaluate three strategies: universal screening, screening if a previous titer was not available, and use of an "alert" in the EMR to prompt screening. Cost, probability, and utility values were derived from the literature and institutional data from Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital. One-way sensitivity analyses were performed on all cost and probability values. RESULTS: The strategy of an EMR alert was most cost-effective, with a cost of $0.27 per quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The model was robust to all costs and probability values over their respective ranges. CONCLUSIONS: Although all strategies were cost-effective compared with traditional industry benchmarks of $50,000/QALY, the EMR alert strategy is most cost-effective. Implementing an EMR alert may lead to a more cost-effective approach to prenatal evaluation of rubella immunity.

Cervical and prolapsed submucosal leiomyomas complicating pregnancy.

UNLABELLED: Cervical and prolapsed submucosal leiomyomas are rarely seen in pregnancy. Depending on the size threshold used to diagnose a leiomyoma, the prevalence of uterine leiomyomas in pregnancy is approximately 3% to 10%. The prevalence of clinically evident cervical leiomyomas in pregnancy is less than 1%. Contrary to prior thought, the majority of uterine leiomyomas in pregnancy do not usually lead to complications. Indications for surgical intervention in pregnancy for cervical leiomyomas include bleeding, infection, degeneration, pain, and urinary stasis. Preoperative imaging with ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging may help to delineate the location and nature (e.g., pedunculated) of the cervical leiomyoma when clinical examination is inconclusive. We reviewed the current literature in regard to cervical leiomyomas in pregnancy and summarize the major findings. After completing this CME activity, readers should be better able to evaluate the prevalence and natural history of uterine and cervical leiomyomas in pregnancy, assess indications for surgical intervention in pregnant patients, manage surgical complications, and select imaging modalities that may determine their origin. TARGET AUDIENCE: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this educational activity, the reader should be better able to evaluate the prevalence and natural history of uterine leiomyomas in pregnancy; assess indications for surgical intervention in pregnant patients; manage surgical complications; and select imaging modalities that may determine their origin.