Drug abuse during pregnancy in an inner-city hospital: prevalence and patterns.

Because of the increase of illicit drug use within the inner city--and especially because of the increasing popularity of cocaine--Michigan Health Center (Detroit) implemented a policy of routine drug screening of all patients admitted to the hospital through the labor unit. This policy was first implemented in February 1989. Routine drug screening made it possible to perform a retrospective study of the prevalence and patterns of drug abuse in a population consisting predominantly of inner-city patients of minority origin and indigent circumstance. The data derived from drug screening on 290 patients performed over a 75-day period are evaluated. Urine samples were screened for amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, cocaine, and opiates. Nearly 27% of the urine samples tested positive for one or more of these substances. Cannabinoids and cocaine were found most frequently. Mandatory drug screening of pregnant patients by inner-city hospitals may be warranted. No statistically significant difference was noted (P less than or equal to .05) with respect to the average age, education, and number of prenatal visits of illicit substance users compared with those of nonusers.