An Environmental Scan of the Role of Nurses in Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

ABSTRACT

Nurses are in an ideal position to talk to their patients of reproductive age about alcohol use and encourage the prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Effective conversations can be efficiently included in the clinical encounter to identify alcohol misuse and offer appropriate follow-up. This report presents results of an environmental scan of resources relevant to nursing professionals and nurses' role in addressing alcohol misuse. Gaps in nursing education and practice guidelines with regard to defining the nursing role in preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies were revealed. Findings identified a need to promote adoption among nurses of evidence-based preventive practices to prevent alcohol misuse.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Acknowledgments

The contents of this project are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement Numbers DD001143 (University of Alaska Anchorage), DD001144 (University of California, San Diego), and DD001035 (University of Pittsburgh), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.