Roostaeian, Nastaran
(2023)
Landscape Scan of Services for Pregnant Women and People for Substance Use/ Opioid Use Disorder in Allegheny County.
Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.
Abstract
The opioid epidemic has become a major public health concern, with opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy significantly increasing in the past two decades. Opioid use during pregnancy is associated with negative health outcomes for mother and child, such as maternal mortality, low birthweight, preterm birth, intrauterine fetal death, specific birth defects, and neonatal abstinence syndrome.
This essay explores service availability and the factors that influence treatment seeking and maintenance in treatment among birthing people with OUD. The author conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 local healthcare providers and administrators who work with this population, and also conducted unstructured interviews with six local researchers whose expertise is in OUD and maternal health. This essay uses the information gathered from those interviews to describe the local landscape of OUD services and to better understand how these services could be improved to better serve pregnant individuals with OUD. The essay also explores any gaps in the current offerings that are suggested by people who work closely with birthing people with OUD.
Participants identified numerous barriers that make it challenging for pregnant people with OUD to remain in recovery. Housing is a significant barrier for pregnant people and in postpartum period, as they may not have a stable place to live or may face discrimination when seeking housing due to their history of substance use. Lack of stable housing can lead to increased stress and anxiety, making it challenging to maintain recovery. Also, the interviewees noted that many people with OUD are unaware that Medicaid covers the cost of medication-assisted treatment. This is a significant barrier to accessing care for those who may not have the financial means to pay for treatment out of pocket.
The public health relevance of this exploration and description of local OUD service availability and capacity is that accidental poisonings including drug-related overdoses were the leading cause of maternal mortality in Pennsylvania in 2018. This essay provides insights into factors influencing recovery of birthing people with OUD to better support this population with future public health interventions.
Share
| Citation/Export: |
|
| Social Networking: |
|
Details
| Item Type: |
Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper
(Master Essay)
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| Contributors: |
| Contribution | Contributors Name | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Committee Chair | Salter, Cynthia | cys6@pitt.edu | cys6 | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Guyon-Harris, Katherine | katherine.guyonharris@chp.edu | UNSPECIFIED | UNSPECIFIED |
|
| Date: |
15 May 2023 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Number of Pages: |
63 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Behavioral and Community Health Sciences |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master Essay |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Opioid Use Disorder, Birthing People, Landscape Scan |
| Date Deposited: |
15 May 2023 20:19 |
| Last Modified: |
15 May 2023 20:19 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/44846 |
Metrics
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}