Status and innovation needed to address health disparities in opioid use disorders among Hispanic pregnant individuals

Karen G Martinez-Gonzalez^*Darlene Ivelisse Santiago

• University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Although opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy has increased significantly in the last years, there are still significant gaps in scientific data and in access to evidence-based treatments. OUD in pregnancy is associated with negative health outcomes in the pregnant person, the fetus, and the newborn. To prevent these consequences, it is imperative to identify OUD and provide treatment as soon as possible in the pregnancy. Effective treatments, such as medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), are safe in pregnancy but not routinely prescribed. For Hispanic pregnant people, these evidence-based treatments are less likely to be prescribed, are less consistently used and are less likely to be continued during the first year postpartum. Increasing access to high quality evidence-based treatments for OUD in Hispanic pregnant people is a public health emergency. This article will offer an overview of the known health disparities of treating perinatal OUD in Hispanics and propose strategies to address these disparities.