Development of an Educational Brochure about Treatment Options for Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorders

TL;DR

This study created and refined an educational brochure for pregnant women with opioid use disorders, focusing on treatment options and incorporating feedback from healthcare providers.

Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of a provider-informed educational brochure addressing treatment choices for pregnant women with opioid use disorders.

Findings

Three main themes emerged from provider feedback: suggested uses, content revisions, and perceptions of the brochure.

The brochure was refined based on input from clinicians and doulas to better support patient education.

Further research is needed to evaluate the brochure's effectiveness in shared decision-making with patients.

Abstract

The goal of this study was to describe the development of an educational brochure for pregnant women with opioid use disorders (OUDs) about treatment options. Based on findings from a preliminary review of the literature, we drafted a brochure that addressed the following questions: (1) What are your options (Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) versus no treatment)? (2) What are the benefits of MAT? (3) What are the risks of MAT? (4) Can I take buprenorphine or methadone while breastfeeding? (5) Which medication should I choose? Clinicians and doulas (n = 19) who provide care to pregnant women with OUDs were recruited. Semi-structured interviews elicited participants’ feedback on brochure content and their perceptions about brochure use for patient education. Thematic data analyses were performed. Three emergent themes were identified (suggested uses and settings of use, content revisions, and perceptions about the brochure) and used to refine the final brochure. This study provides valuable insights into the desired content of an educational brochure describing treatment options for pregnant women with OUDs from the provider’s standpoint. Research is needed to assess the use of the brochure in shared decision-making conversations with providers about treatment.

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