HHS Announces A Standard Clinical Definition For Opioid Medication Withdrawal In Infants

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) together with leading primary care professionals, researchers, and policy experts led the development of a standard clinical definition for opioid medication withdrawal in infants to help improve care. It is accompanied with a set of foundational principles that outlines bioethical uses for the definition, distinctly centering around identifying clinical and supportive care needs of mothers and their infants, using an evidence-based, compassionate, and equitable approach.

Across the U.S., the number of mothers with opioid medication-related diagnoses documented at delivery increased approximately 130% from 2010 to 2017, according . . .