This practice article describes two advanced practice provider-led programs offering medication treatment for opioid use disorder alongside coordinated services for pregnant and parenting patients. It highlights the potential roles of nurse practitioners and midwives in prescribing buprenorphine, connecting patients with community resources, and supporting multidisciplinary care. The authors present these models as examples that other programs may adapt; the article does not report a controlled comparison of outcomes.
Abstract
This article describes 2 innovative models of advanced practice provider-led medication for opioid use disorder treatment programs offering comprehensive, interprofessional care for pregnant patients and provides implications for broader adaptation of practice. Increasing the number of midwives and nurse practitioners waivered to prescribe buprenorphine and able to connect pregnant patients with opioid use disorder to appropriate community-based resources, treatment, and self-help programs could address alarming substance use trends including overdose deaths and other sequelae associated with the opioid epidemic.
