Should pregnant women be screened for drugs of abuse?

Abstract

Sir- We would like to compliment Drs Bosio et al1 for the first reported prospective screening study for drug abuse in an Irish obstetric population. We would disagree, however, with the deduction that "drug abuse is not a serious problem among Dublin's pregnant population." 43 cases of neonatal drug withdrawal were identified at our hospital between July 1996 and June 1997 and these babies had significant impact on facilities and staffing levels in our neonatal ICU.