Alcohol and Pregnancy: Communication Materials for Healthcare Professionals and Patients
Messaging about alcohol use during pregnancy can be challenging. Misconceptions continue to exist in the media and among healthcare professionals and the public about this issue. Healthcare professionals are a trusted source of health information. It is important that they have the tools they need to talk about this topic in a nonjudgmental, nonstigmatizing way. Much work remains to be done to address counseling patients of reproductive age, removing stigma around messaging, and normalizing the conversation about alcohol use.
CDC recently funded research to assess healthcare professional and patient attitudes about alcohol use during pregnancy. This research also examined messaging and approaches to encourage conversations about alcohol use during pregnancy and the use of alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI). These findings were used to create a communication guide for partners and a suite of “Let’s Talk” materials for both healthcare professionals and patients.
Communication Guide
The guide is intended to support CDC and partner organizations in consistently communicating evidence-based messages about alcohol use during pregnancy, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), and alcohol SBI. The guide summarizes research on healthcare professional and patients’ attitudes and preferences for messaging. It also shares approaches to encourage alcohol SBI and conversations about alcohol use during pregnancy.
Materials for Healthcare Professionals
Links to the resources can be shared via partner communication channels and can easily be disseminated as email attachments. National partners, healthcare professional organizations, and other federal agencies can also include the resources on their websites. Clinics or health systems can also print hard copies to distribute to healthcare professionals as appropriate.
Fact Sheets
Four fact sheets, each addressing a separate topic, serve as reference documents for healthcare professionals. Plain text versions are available to save on printing resources.
- Healthcare Professional Fact Sheet 1: Let’s Talk About Alcohol SBI
- Healthcare Professional Fact Sheet 2: Let’s Talk About Incorporating Alcohol SBI into Your Healthcare Practice
- Healthcare Professional Fact Sheet 3: Let’s Talk About Alcohol and Pregnancy
- Healthcare Professional Fact Sheet 4: Let’s Talk About Discussing Alcohol and Pregnancy with Patients
Badge Cards
Badge cards are provided in both print-ready format (3.35” x 2.13” PDFs) and graphics optimized for smartphones (1080p x 1920p PNGs). Healthcare professionals can quickly reference these documents during clinical encounters with patients, either in print or digital format. Healthcare professionals and systems can print and laminate hard copies for healthcare professionals to carry or attach to their badges. Health systems and clinics can also integrate the content into their electronic medical records or other healthcare professional resources.
- Badge Card 1: Opening a SBI Conversation and Brief Intervention Tips
- Badge Card 2: Standard Drink Chart and Risky Drinking Levels
- Badge Card 3: Facts to Help Female Patients Understand Health Impacts of Alcohol
Video
This animated video introduces alcohol SBI to healthcare professionals who are not yet conducting this preventive service or are not doing so consistently. Health systems and clinics can share the video with healthcare professionals in huddles, staff meetings, grand rounds, or other brief training and reminder settings. Health systems and clinics can also integrate the video into their online healthcare professional resources. The video can be used in conjunction with badge cards to support practice change.
- Healthcare Professional Video: Introduction to Alcohol SBI to Reduce Alcohol Use During Pregnancy
Commentary
The article can be posted in national partner and healthcare professional organizations’ newsletters, bulletins, and other channels used for communicating with healthcare professionals.
Materials for Patients
Links to the resources can be shared via partner communication channels and can easily be disseminated as email attachments. National partners, healthcare professional organizations, and other federal agencies can also include the resources on their websites. Clinics or health systems can also print hard copies to distribute to healthcare professionals or post digital resources, as appropriate.
Infographics
Two infographics were developed specifically for patients. One is for patients who are pregnant or are intending to be pregnant. The other is for patients not intending to be pregnant soon. These infographics can be printed as a large poster to place in exam rooms, given as a hard copy printout by the healthcare professional during a visit, or shared through various digital communication formats (e.g., patient portal, text messaging platform, email).
- Patient Infographic 1: Let’s Talk About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy [432 KB, 1 Page, 508] (for patients who are pregnant or intend to be pregnant soon)
- Patient Infographic 2: Let’s Talk About Alcohol Use [462 KB, 1 Page, 508] (for patients who are not intending to be pregnant soon)
Short-Form Videos
Two videos are available that are optimized for viewing on a mobile device. Healthcare professionals can share these videos with patients via the healthcare professionals’ usual digital patient communication formats. For example, they could be linked in text message reminders, clinic websites, patient portals, or social media posts.
- Patient Video: 5 Things Your Doctor Wants You to Know About Alcohol and Pregnancy (for patients who are pregnant or intend to be pregnant soon)
- Patient Video: 5 Reasons Your Doctor Might Ask How Much Alcohol You Drink (for patients who are not intending to be pregnant soon)
Long-Form Video
A long-form video appeals to a broad audience of people who can impact decisions about alcohol use during pregnancy (e.g., partners, grandparents) as well as patients of reproductive age. This animated video can be shared on digital monitors in clinical office waiting areas and through healthcare professionals’ usual digital patient communication formats. For example, it could be a link in text message reminders, clinic websites, patient portals, or social media posts.
Message Sets
Healthcare professionals can share these messages via their usual digital patient communication formats (e.g., text reminders, emails, patient portals, and social media posts). Healthcare professionals can also use the messages as talking points in conversations with patients.
A total of eight sets of graphics are available in two sizes (1200p x 675p and 1080p x 1080p PNGs). This allows for a variety of placements on social media and other communication channels. These graphics are intended to pair with the message sets. The 1080p x 1080p (square) graphics are intended to be posted together as an album/carousel.
Let’s Talk graphics for patients who are not intending to be pregnant soon
Let’s Talk graphics for patients who are pregnant or intend to be pregnant soon
Editorial Article
Healthcare professionals or health systems can post the article on their patient resources web or blog pages.
- Patient Article: Let’s Talk about Alcohol and Pregnancy [165 KB, 2 Pages, 508]