Article

Providing information regarding exposures in pregnancy: a survey of North American Teratology Information Services.

Department of Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
Reproductive Toxicology (impact factor: 3.23). 05/2008; 25(3):381-7. DOI:10.1016/j.reprotox.2008.02.005 pp.381-7
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Teratology Information Services (TIS) provide information on exposures during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Maintaining ongoing funding is a challenge. The purpose was to gather descriptive information on current TIS operations.
All North American TIS (16 American, 2 Canadian) completed a detailed survey.
Service goal ranked as most important was correction of risk misperceptions. Inquiries were primarily for medications (mean 43.5%, S.D. 14.1), lactation exposures, and workplace exposures. Median employees per TIS: three (range 1-12.5). Two TIS only counsel health care professionals (HCPs). Main callers to remaining TIS were pregnant women (mean 46.8%, S.D. 22.8), physicians, and nurses. Calls per week varied (median 20, range 4-600). Median annual budget: US dollars 69,000 (range dollars 3000-335,000). Seventeen TIS collect patient data for research.
This survey was the first to document TIS operations in North America and demonstrates a spectrum of clinical and research activities, and provides data for a future cost-benefit analysis of TIS.

0 0
 · 
0 Bookmarks
 · 
24 Views
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

16 American
 
2 Canadian
 
Calls
 
current TIS operations
 
descriptive information
 
document TIS operations
 
Inquiries
 
lactation exposures
 
Maintaining ongoing funding
 
median 20
 
Median annual budget
 
Median employees
 
North American TIS
 
patient data
 
physicians
 
research activities
 
risk misperceptions
 
TIS
 
workplace exposures