[ad_1]
Pregnant women’s alcohol use could be recorded in their children’s medical records under plans for England to be considered by the National Institute for Excellence in Health and Care (Nice), drawing criticism from advocates of pregnancy rights.
The Nice proposal has been developed as part of a consultation to cement guidelines for physicians to diagnose and prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Advocates argue that the risk of FASD – a variety of physical and mental conditions caused by drinking during pregnancy – to a fetus means that the mother’s right to privacy must be secondary.
Pregnancy charities, including the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BASP) and Birthrights, have suggested that the guideline on recording alcohol consumption could violate data protection regulations.
“Women do not lose their right to medical confidentiality simply because they are pregnant,” said Clare Murphy, BASP’s director of external affairs, pointing to a survey of 725 women conducted by the charity that found that 60% believed that data from Alcohol consumption should not be shared without consent.
“I think it is a really shocking situation, and we are very surprised that this is the path that Nice has followed,” he said. “What we end up doing is creating this climate in pregnancy that leads to increased anxiety, stress, worry, and enormous maternal guilt, especially if something goes wrong.”
But Sue Armstrong Brown, CEO of Adoption UK, said: “There is certainly a balance to be struck here between protecting the freedoms of the mother and protecting the health of the fetus.
“But the situation we find ourselves in at the moment is that… governments and health systems are only at the beginning of being able to correctly identify and then manage the condition. So obviously we are in a situation where some things will have to change if we want to improve ”. Alcohol abuse during pregnancy is a factor in seven out of 10 cases of children placed for adoption.
The incidence of FASD in the UK is unknown. Symptoms include distinctive facial features, such as a small head and learning difficulties.
While drinking more than 1 to 2 units of alcohol per day has been strongly linked to lower birth weight and premature births, research on the effects of low alcohol levels on a baby during pregnancy can be difficult to interpret.
A 2016 report by the UK’s chief medical officer found that the risks are likely low, but the “precautionary” principle suggests that it is safer to avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy, it concluded. Nice says that “there is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.”
A yet-to-publish study of 7,000 women, funded by the Wellcome Trust and conducted by BASP, found that women are aware of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy, Murphy said. “It’s a source of real frustration for me that … studies try to show that somehow women are living in ignorance about this.”
Brown said: “Unless the records are clear… the child often cannot seek a diagnosis. So the stakes are high to get this right. Research shows that if a child is diagnosed before the age of six, their likely subsequent prevalence of mental health problems is cut in half. “
Nice said: “The draft quality standard on FASD is based on the guidance published in Scotland last year and in use in other parts of the world, and takes into account the recommendations made by the medical director … Feedback we received from outside organizations and members of the public during this consultation period will help us better understand what works and what doesn’t for practice in England. “
