Knowledge and attitudes of nursing students about women who use substances during pregnancy in the Western Cape

Abstract

Substance use has become a major socio-economic problem worldwide and is alarmingly high in South Africa. Substance use is frequent in pregnant women and has a negative impact on foetal, neonatal, and maternal well-being. Nurses play an essential role in identifying and treating substance use and related problems in patients in general and pregnant women. Worldwide, published literature reports that professional and student nurses have insufficient knowledge regarding substance use in pregnant women and often portray punitive, negative attitudes towards them.