Reaching medical and allied health students and practitioners in the prevention, identification, and management of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Prenatal exposure to alcohol is a leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities. Individuals exposed to alcohol during fetal development can have physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities, with lifelong implications. These conditions are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Health professionals play a crucial role in identifying women at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy and in identifying the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure among individuals. This presentation discusses two educational resources available to health professionals for the prevention, identification, and management of FASDs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities has funded four FASD Regional Training Centers (RTCs) to develop, implement, and evaluate educational training for medical and allied health students and practitioners. In 2008, CDC released the “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Competency-Based Curriculum for Medical and Allied Health Education and Practice,” developed by the RTCs, CDC, and the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). In addition, CDC has collaborated with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to develop “Drinking and Reproductive Health: An FASD Prevention Tool Kit.” This tool kit is available free of charge from ACOG for women's healthcare providers and is incorporated into the FASD competency-based curriculum described here. This presentation discusses both the curriculum for medical and allied health students and practitioners and the ACOG tool kit and their availability and use for students and professionals in the prevention, identification, and management of FASDs.