Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Pilot Parenting Educational Intervention in a Pregnancy Buprenorphine Clinic

We developed a pilot evidence-based prenatal educational intervention to increase knowledge of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and early parenting skills for women with opiate dependency who enrolled in a pregnancy buprenorphine clinic. We developed, implemented, and tested modules regarding expectations during newborn hospitalization for observation or treatment of NAS and regarding evidence-based parenting skills in response to NAS behaviors. Testing evaluated baseline knowledge of early parenting skills with newborns at risk for NAS and change from baseline after the educational intervention. No statistically significant difference in composite knowledge scores was observed. A brief survey completed by the participants postpartum affirmed the perception of women that the educational intervention effectively prepared them for the early postpartum period while their newborns were hospitalized.