Instruments to evaluate alcohol consumption in the pregnant women: a scoping review

Introduction The consumption of alcohol by the pregnant woman is particularly relevant as it is associated with serious consequences for the fetus. However, studies on alcohol consumption during pregnancy and its consequences; using instruments that allow the characterization of the consumption are rare in Portugal. Question Which instruments allow the characterization of alcohol consumption in pregnant women? Objectives To identify instruments for the characterization of alcohol consumption in pregnant women. Methods Population: pregnant women; Concepts: pregnancy, alcohol consumption and assessment instruments; Context: nursing interventions provided to pregnant women. Type of studies: quantitative, qualitative and mixed. Search term: conjugates the descriptors MeSH: Pregnant Women OR Pregnancy AND Alcohol Drinking AND Weight and Measures. Search for articles published in the ProQuest and PubMed databases and on the EBSCOhost platform: CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete and Mediclatina, with the limiters: full text, published from 1/1/2014 to 5/31/2018, human and age group-Adults (19-44 years). Data was extracted using the Joanna Briggs Institute Instrument. Results To evaluate the methodological quality, PRISMA flowchart 2009 was used. Four studies were included, three with quantitative design and one qualitative design. The instruments identified that allow the characterization of alcohol consumption in pregnant women are Green Page; T-ACE; CAGE; TWEAK; in addition to questions adapted from other questionnaires. Two studies identify predictors of alcohol consumption in pregnant women. Conclusions The scoping review allowed us to reach the objectives outlined; identifying studies whose instruments used were reliable for the characterization of alcohol consumption in pregnant women, as well as the identification of predictors associated with alcohol consumption.