This scoping review assessed how perinatal opioid use disorder research reports race and ethnicity, identifies disparities in maternal-infant healthcare and outcomes, and addresses racism as a possible explanation for inequities. The authors searched research published from 2000 through 2020 and included studies involving pregnancy through the infant’s first birthday.
The review included 152 quantitative and 17 qualitative studies from 2,023 articles screened. It found important limitations in how race and ethnicity were incorporated into research, interpreted and discussed. The authors recommend stronger attention to structural racism, more meaningful inclusion of marginalized populations, community-based participatory research and reproductive justice frameworks to improve the evidence base and address inequities in perinatal substance use care.
Original summary for clinical review. Read the published study.
