Midwives and service users' perspectives on implementing a dialogue about alcohol use in antenatal care: A qualitative study.

Aim: There are barriers to midwives engaging in conversations about alcohol with pregnant women. Our aim was to capture the views of midwives and service users to co-create strategies to address these barriers.

Design: Qualitative description.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: an overview of current evidence and activities in the UK.

Estimates for the UK suggest that alcohol consumption during pregnancy and prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)-the most common neurodevelopmental condition-are high. Considering the significant health and social impacts of FASD, there is a public health imperative to prioritise prevention, interventions and support. In this article, we outline the current state of play regarding FASD knowledge and research in the UK, which is characterised by a lack of evidence, a lack of dedicated funding and services, and consequently little policy formulation and strategic direction.

Assessing the prevalence of alcohol consumption in early pregnancy using blood biomarker analysis: a consistent pattern across north-east England?

Background: We previously investigated the prevalence of alcohol consumption in early pregnancy in Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, a locality of north-east England. The prevalence was 1.4% based on blood sample biomarker analysis using carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) and 3.

An antenatal alcohol service evaluation of the north-east of England and north Cumbria.

Background: NHS England's 'Better Births' strategy aims to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. A strategic priority identified in the north-east local maternity system is to reduce alcohol consumption in pregnancy due to the documented diverse risks of harm to mother and baby, including foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Aims: To evaluate current alcohol prevention, screening and treatment service provision in maternity care across the region, and inform future recommendations.

A Survey of Health Care Professionals' Knowledge and Experience of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Alcohol Use in Pregnancy.

Background: Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are one of the most common preventable forms of developmental disability and congenital abnormalities globally, particularly in countries where alcohol is considered socially acceptable. Screening for alcohol use early in pregnancy can facilitate the detection of alcohol-exposed pregnancies and identify women who require further assessment. However, only a small percentage of children with FASD are identified in the United Kingdom.

Assessing prevalence of alcohol consumption in early pregnancy: Self-report compared to blood biomarker analysis.

Providing appropriate antenatal and postnatal care for women who drink alcohol in pregnancy is only possible if those at risk can be identified. We aimed to compare the prevalence of alcohol consumption in the first trimester of pregnancy using self-report and blood biomarker analysis. Six-hundred routine blood samples from 2014, taken at the antenatal booking appointment, in the first trimester of pregnancy, were anonymously analysed for the presence of Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin (CDT), a validated marker of chronic alcohol exposure (normalising 2-3 weeks from abstinence) and Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), a liver enzyme elevated for up to 8 weeks after alcohol exposure.

How strong is the evidence for using blood biomarkers alone to screen for alcohol consumption during pregnancy? A systematic review.

Accurate and early identification of women at risk from alcohol consumption during pregnancy allows education and support programmes to be targeted at those most in need. We aimed to conduct a systematic review to compare the efficacy of blood analysis and maternal self-report in detecting at risk women during pregnancy. This review investigated diagnostic accuracy.