Project Summary
Infants exposed to opioids during pregnancy are at risk for adverse birth outcomes and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS is a constellation of withdrawal symptoms that include inconsolable crying, sleep disturbance, poor weight gain, and seizures. National rates of NAS have tripled since 2000, and Bexar County has been disproportionately affected, accounting for 32 percent of all NAS cases reported annually in Texas. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to establish a Bexar County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Collaborative. This collaborative will serve as a venue for patients, stakeholders, clinicians, and researchers to enhance capacity for patient-centered outcomes research with the ultimate goal of identifying research priorities and developing comparative effectiveness studies to reduce NAS rates and improve care in Bexar County.