Ethical conflict of advanced practice providers related to drug testing and reporting for maternity patients with opioid use disorder
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Advanced practice maternity providers (APPs; midwives, nurse practitioners, physician associates) have described decision-making about drug testing and child welfare system (CWS) reporting as a source of ethical conflict. Ethical conflict in clinical practice is linked to provider burnout and poor patient outcomes. However, ethical conflict related to drug testing and reporting across APPs caring for pregnant and postpartum patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) has not been quantitatively evaluated.
PURPOSE
This study describes the amount and types of ethical conflict experienced by APPs over drug testing and CWS reporting decisions when caring for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD, considering variation across provider demographics.
METHODS
APPs across the US (N = 171) completed an online cross-sectional survey adapted from Falcó-Pegueroles' Ethical Conflict in Nursing Questionnaire, measuring (1) exposure to and (2) type of ethical conflict experienced in various scenarios about drug testing and CWS reporting for pregnant and postpartum patients with OUD. Descriptive statistics and general linear regression modeling described demographic predictors of ethical conflict exposure. Moral types of ethical conflict (i.e., dilemma, distress, wellbeing) were characterized.
RESULTS
All participants were female, average age 43 years. Most were white (86%), had children (78.9%), and were well-represented across US regions. After controlling for demographics,…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Characterization and Analysis of Porosity and Pore Structures
- Practical considerations for conducting ecotoxicity test methods with manufactured nanomaterials: what have we learnt so far?
- Dental Optical Coherence Tomography
- Radiation-shielding concrete: A review of materials, performance, and the impact of radiation on concrete properties
- Testing entanglement of annihilation photons
- Calanus finmarchicus seasonal cycle and diapause in relation to gene expression, physiology, and endogenous clocks
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.