The opioid epidemic is a current health care crisis nationwide, and mothers that use illicit and licit drugs such as heroin and prescription pain killers while pregnant, often give birth to infants that struggle with signs of withdrawal, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Infants with NAS, experience symptoms such as a difficulty sleeping, high pitched cry, irritability, jittery movements, excessive sucking, sweating, frequent loose stools and gastrointestinal discomfort. NAS secondary to in-utero opioid exposure has increased in the last decades requiring improved strategies for intervention in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), improved parent education, and follow up by trained professionals to prevent future developmental delays. The focus of current literature in nursing and physician journals is a non-pharmacological approach. Many of the non-pharmacological approaches to reducing symptoms of withdrawal revolve around sensory based activities including, swaddling, non-nutritive sucking, reducing noise and visual stimulation, gentle rocking, massage, use of bathing a kangaroo care with mother. These interventions are all sensory in nature, and occupational therapists have the skills and knowledge to identify and treat sensory modulation and processing issues. The purpose of this capstone project is to highlight that occupational therapists can play an important role in the outcomes of infants with NAS by utilizing current best practice in interventions to reduce symptoms of withdrawal and to decrease the average length of stay. Occupational therapists can improve the ability of parents to care for infants with NAS, and lead a multidisciplinary team to evidence-based practice for infants with NAS through clinical practice guidelines and standardization of care.
