Substance Use Screening Tools for Use with Pregnant Women

Identifying substance use during pregnancy is a critical step for providers to connect women to the care and support they need. The screening tools listed below have evidence supporting their use with pregnant patients. Providers may choose a screening tool that best fits their clinical setting and the needs of their patient or client population.

All the screening tools listed in the table are publicly available to screen for alcohol and drug use and are:

1. Validated for use with pregnant women, meaning that they have been rigorously evaluated and shown to accurately measure risk for substance use in women who are pregnant; or

2. Shown to be effective for measuring the risk of substance use in women who are pregnant, through the observation and analysis of clinical studies.

Guidance on selecting the most appropriate screening tool, implementing substance use screening in your practice, or addressing patient-specific substance use concerns is available through the Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line (PPCL) by calling (833) 721-2881.

PPCL’s team of experts is available with real-time support to help integrate effective screening into your workflow and to answer patient-specific questions that may arise. For more information about the Provider-to-Provider Consultation Line, visit the webpage.

List of Screening Tools

The 5Ps Prenatal Substance Abuse Screen | The 5 P's Integrated Screening Tool

• Can be self-administered or clinician-administered in one to five minutes

• Used with pregnant women of all ages

• The tool screens for parental substance use, partner substance use, past substance use, and problems with substance use

• The Integrated Screening Tool adds a question each for smoking, depression, and domestic violence

• A "Yes" to Parents, Peers, Partners, Past, Present, and Smoking indicates a positive screen for substance use

Learn more about the research on the tool’s validity.

Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy (SURP-P)

• Can be self-administered or clinician-administered in one to two minutes

• Can be self-administered or clinician-administered in one to two minutes

• Used with pregnant patients (15 years or older)

• A brief screen designed for identifying substance use in pregnant patients

Learn more about the research on the development of the tool.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Quick Screen

Adjustments to Consider for Women Who Are Pregnant:

• Consider modifying the question from "Within the past 12 months, how often..." to "Within the past 3 months, how often...."

• One or more affirmative items indicate a positive screen and a need for additional assessment

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• Can be self-administered or clinician-administered in one to two minutes

• Used with adults (18 years or older)

• A brief screen designed to screen for substance use in a clinical setting

• If the patient says "Yes" to the use of illegal drugs or prescription drugs for non-medical reasons, the NIDA-Modified ASSIST can be used for further assessment

See the Quick Reference Guide for instructions on using the tool.

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (NIDA ASSIST)

• Can be self-administered or clinician-administered in 5-10 minutes

• Used with adults (18 years or older)

• Used as an additional assessment following the NIDA Quick Screen

• Screens for a wide range of substances

• Scoring stratifies risk into low, moderate, or high risk

See the full ASSIST manual for use in primary care.

The CRAFFT 2.1+N Self-Administered | CRAFFT 2.1+N Interview

Adjustments to Consider for Women Who Are Pregnant:

• Consider modifying the question from "In the past 12 months, how many days did you…" to "In the past 3 months, on how many days did you…"

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• Can be self-administered or clinician-administered in 5-10 minutes.

• Used with adolescents (12-21 years).

• Focuses on substance use consequences

• One or more affirmative items in Part A indicate a positive screen and a need for additional assessment

Learn more about the research on the tool’s validity and the managers of the tool.

Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substances (TAPS) Tool

Adjustments to Consider for Women Who Are Pregnant:

• Consider modifying the first question from "In the past 12 months...” to "In the past 3 months..."

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• Can be self-administered or clinician-administered in one to five minutes

• Used with adults (18 years or older)

• An online screening tool that combines screening with a brief assessment

• One or more reports other than “never” indicate a positive screen

See research on the tool’s validity.