Pregnancy & Alcohol Cessation Toolkit

An Education Resource for Health Professionals

A collaborative project between Alcohol Healthwatch and the University of Otago, funded by the Ministry of Health

Aim

This resource aims to improve health professional’s consultation confidence and competence to optimise the implementation of the Ministry of Health’s practical guide on alcohol and pregnancy.

Background

In 2010 the New Zealand Ministry of Health produced a guide for healthcare professionals engaging with clients on the topic of drinking during pregnancy and the associated risk: “Alcohol and pregnancy: A practical guide for health professionals.”

To facilitate the capability of health professionals to have these consultations in everyday clinical practice ‘The Pregnancy and Alcohol Cessation Toolkit' an educational resource for Health Professionals' has been developed.

EXPERTISE: The Toolkit has been developed by members of a Working Group comprised of experts in Addiction Medicine, Midwifery, General Practice including Practice Nursing, Paediatrics, Psychiatry and Public Health and through consultation with a broad range of key stakeholders organisations in the health sector (see acknowledgements).

Introduction

Objectives

To prompt and support health professionals to:

1. Ask about and assess alcohol and other drug use by women who are planning or who are pregnant
2. Provide brief advice about not drinking alcohol when planning a pregnancy or when pregnant and explain why this is important
3. Assist women who are having difficulty stopping, or whose drinking is problematic, and refer them to a specialist addiction treatment service

Structure

This educational resource comprises 4 modules.

Reading through the modules, viewing the video material, completing the feedback questionnaires and then implementing the skills in one’s everyday clinical setting, should improve one’s knowledge and skills in delivery of a collaborative, empathic and motivational intervention. 

You can choose to complete the modules as they appear online or by downloading the complete workbook.

The Modules

Module 1: Introduction

1.1 Facts about alcohol use in pregnancy
1.2 Prevalence of drinking during pregnancy
1.3 Links and references
1.4 Self-evaluation
1.5 Module evaluation

Module 2: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

2.1 How alcohol affects the fetus and child
2.2 Consequences
2.3 Evidence on dose, timing and risk
2.4 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
2.5 Links and references
2.6 Self-evaluation
2.7 Module evaluation

Module 3: Assessment and Screening Tools

3.1 Assessment and screening
3.2 Units of alcohol and standard drinks
3.3 Screening tools
3.4 Links and references
3.5 Self-evaluation
3.6 Module evaluation

Module 4: Motivational Interviewing and Putting it into Practice

4.1 The motivational interview and implementation of motivational interview strategies
4.2 Putting it into practice
4.3 Links and references
4.4 Self-evaluation
4.5 Module evaluation
 

Click here to VIEW ALL SCENARIO VIDEOS

Appendix 1: States of Change

Appendix 2: Cultural Considerations

Acknowledgements