What is on your record, and who sees it
Including the questions you may be asked about substances and safety.
You will be asked about alcohol, drug use and safety at home. These questions are asked because the answers can change care and because help exists. They also enter a record, and in some states a positive drug test at delivery triggers a report.
The application of these questions is not equal. In a study of 7,056 pregnancies, Black women were significantly more likely than white women to have a urine drug test performed when they had denied drug use (odds ratio 1.6).
You may ask before you answer"What happens to this information, who sees it, and is testing done routinely or only if I consent?" Asking that is not an admission of anything. It is a reasonable question about your own record.
Where this comes from:
263. Byrn MA, Buys EA, Mujahid M, Madsen K. Disparities in the provision of perinatal care based on patient race in the United States. Birth. 2023;50(3):627-635.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.