Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Do Canadian prenatal records support evidence-based practices to reduce maternal smoking?
1School of Nursing, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON.
Objectives:
Maternal smoking remains the most important modifiable risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes. Integrating evidence-based screening questions and intervention guides for maternal smoking into standardized prenatal records may improve the identification and treatment of pregnant smokers. This study sought to identify and compare how prenatal records across Canadian provinces and territories currently address the issue of maternal tobacco use.
Methods:
Content analysis of prenatal record forms from 11 provinces and territories was used to identify assessment questions and intervention prompts related to maternal smoking or exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Findings were evaluated in light of current best-practice recommendations for maternal smoking cessation and prevention of relapse.
Results:
The content of prenatal records related to maternal smoking varies widely among Canadian provinces and territories. Most of the prenatal records surveyed lacked prompts to support key practices for the effective screening and treatment of maternal tobacco dependence, such as providing multiple response options to determine whether the pregnant woman or her partner smokes, monitoring maternal smoking patterns throughout the course of pregnancy, and referring pregnant smokers to specialized resources for smoking cessation.
Conclusion:
Simple changes to Canadian prenatal record forms may lead to improved population-wide screening and counselling of pregnant smokers.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Regression Toward the Mean
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Preventive Healthcare Services
Introduction to Documentation and Reporting
Nursing documentation records essential information and details regarding a patient's care and treatment in written or electronic form. It is a critical aspect of nursing practice that involves documenting assessments, interventions, outcomes, and other relevant details about a patient's health status.
Documentation maps the patient's health journey by creating a comprehensive and precise...
Development of the Oral Microbiota

