Thesis
Exploring perceptions of providers who care for pregnant women with substance abuse disorders
Washington State University
Master of Nursing (MN), Washington State University
2019
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102756
Abstract
Background: Pregnant women with substance use disorders (SUDs) present with unique needs that are often left unmet. When providers identify their explicit and implicit biases, patient outcomes for this vulnerable population improve. Reducing stigma as a barrier to care increases the likelihood that these women will engage in services. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of providers caring for pregnant women with SUDs and to examine changes in their perceptions following a community-focused educational conference. Method: The Journey Through Recovery conference was a holistic, multi-disciplinary event designed to provide evidence-based education to providers and to reinforce the specialized needs of the population of pregnant women with SUDs. A validated survey tool, the Attitudes of Healthcare Providers Survey (AHPS), was administered before the event (T1), at end of conference (T2), and again at 60 days post-conference (T3) to assess provider perceptions of pregnant women with SUDs. Six conference evaluation questions were also included at T2 and T3 to evaluate providers' perceived knowledge, competency and practice improvement following the conference. Data from the three time points were analyzed with a repeated measures ANOVA. Results: There was a significant decrease in mean AHPS score between T1 (38.24 ±8.93) and T2 (32.71 ±7.77), p<.05, and then a significant increase in mean AHPS score between T2 and T3 (37.08 ±8.45), p<.05. Following the conference, high mean scores on providers' perceived increase in knowledge and competency were noted, ranging from 3.66 to 4.51 (on a scale of 1 - 5). Conclusions: The conference offered continuing education that improved mean scores of provider attitudes as measured by the AHPS tool. However, after 60 days in practice the mean attitudes scores using the AHPS had returned almost to baseline. This may demonstrate that education, although valuable, is limited in its long-term effect on changing provider perceptions without additional resources. The work environment, contextual factors, continued bias awareness, and reinforcement of the education are vital components when caring of substance using pregnant women.
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Details
- Title
- Exploring perceptions of providers who care for pregnant women with substance abuse disorders
- Creators
- Zibby Merritt
- Contributors
- Jo Ann Dotson (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Nursing, College of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Nursing (MN), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525187801842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis