What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to identify effective interventions for opioid use disorder during pregnancy to inform clinical practice.

April 5, 2026Open Access

Interventions for opioid use disorder during pregnancy: a scoping review

AEAmanda L. ElmoreUniversity of South Florida MRMatt RicheyUniversity of South Florida DTDewan S. TahsinUniversity of South Florida

Key Points

The research aims to identify effective interventions for opioid use disorder during pregnancy to inform clinical practice.
Conducted a scoping review of literature from 2013 to 2023.
Reviewed articles from databases including PubMed and Scopus.
Categorized interventions using the socioecological model and evaluated them with the RE-AIM framework.
Excluded non-English studies and non-prenatal interventions.
Included 31 intervention studies after reviewing 1,381 articles.
45% of the studies featured primarily non-Hispanic white participants.
Individual-level interventions focused on clinical care coordination and education.
Community-level interventions addressed service coordination and societal barriers.

Abstract

Background Opioid use disorder during pregnancy (OUD) continues to pose a significant public health challenge, requiring well-designed interventions. This scoping review identifies effective prenatal OUD interventions to promote the use of evidence-based approaches, such as medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and inform future research and clinical practice. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science for interventions for OUD during pregnancy from 2013 to 2023. Exclusions were non-English studies, animal research, non-prenatal interventions, pharmacological trials, and studies outside the U.S. Data were extracted on intervention context, sample, study aims, and results. We categorized each intervention by the socioecological model (SEM) level of implementation and applied the RE-AIM framework to evaluate reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Results After review of 1,381 articles, a total of 31 intervention studies were included. Fourteen studies (45%) included over 75% non-Hispanic white participants. Seventeen studies (55%) were conducted at the individual level, six (19%) at the interpersonal level, and eight (26%) at the society/community level. Individual-level interventions focused on coordinated clinical care models, detoxification/tapering from (MOUD), and prenatal education. Interpersonal interventions included clinician education and group therapy. Community-level interventions targeted regional coordination of services, while society level studies examined the impact of policy change on MOUD access. Conclusion We identified a wide range of prenatal OUD interventions with varying approaches and summarized each by SEM implementation level. While MOUD access remains crucial, community-based interventions that address broader social determinants, and societal barriers may have the greatest impact in improving maternal health outcomes. Systematic Review Registration https://osf.io/ , identifier 10.17605/OSF.IO/8ZUAB.

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