Hospitals gave patients meds during childbirth, then reported them for illicit drug use

Doctors gave patients meds during childbirth, then reported them for illicit drug use.

Mothers were reported after they were given medications used routinely for pain or in epidurals, to reduce anxiety or to manage blood pressure during cesarean sections.

Drug tests triggered by medications routinely prescribed to millions of birthing patients in U.S. every year .

The risks of giving medications to birthing patients and testing them for illicit substances have been well documented.

A study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found 91% of women given fentanyl in their epidurals tested positive for it afterward.

Despite warnings, hospitals often lack policies requiring providers to review a patient’s records to see what medications they received.

In 2022 alone, more than 35,000 babies were reported to child welfare authorities as substance-exposed.

Studies have found that drug tests aren't necessarily the best way to identify someone with a substance use problem.

Not every state explicitly requires reporting a positive test, but many hospitals do so anyway.