Project objectives
- To identify a cohort of drug using mothers with 6/7 year old children in two separate NHS Board areas of Scotland with high prevalence of drug use and specialised maternity services for drug using women
- To trace and contact these mothers and obtain informed consent to access routine data on their children’s outcomes
- To compare immunisation rates/health surveillance rates, education attainment, social circumstances and child protection concerns of children of drug using mothers with the rest of the population
- To use these data to monitor the impact of drug use on children and to consider service responses
- To set up systems for ongoing monitoring of the study cohort of children
- To ascertain the acceptability to parents of routine continuous audit of outcomes of children of drug using mothers
- To make recommendations about a national surveillance system for children of drug using mothers
Clinical Audit Reference no
P02/23
Project initiation date
March 2007
Scheduled completion date
May 2009
Expected publication date
November 2009
About this project
Drug use is associated with increased maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity, and increased mortality and morbidity in families.
The project aims:
- To assess health, educational and social outcomes of children 0 -6/7 years of age of drug using mothers using routine data
- To establish ongoing audit of the study cohort and explore the feasibility of establishing routine audit of children of drug using mothers nationally
Project team members and contributors
- Grant holder: Dr Mary Hepburn, Senior lecturer in women’s reproductive health/Honorary consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, University of Glasgow/North Glasgow University Hospitals Division
- Mr John O’Neill, Project Manager
Budget and special resources
£300,892
For more information
- Orlagh Sheils, Clinical Audit Programme Co-ordinator, CECU, NHS QIS
- Mary Hepburn