Handling drug misuse in the neonatal unit

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a syndrome of newborn drug withdrawal, is increasing in incidence across the developed world. To optimally manage the infant with NAS an integrated multidisciplinary approach is necessary, spanning the intrauterine and postnatal period. Such an approach should incorporate screening for drugs of misuse, early involvement of community services, standardised scoring of NAS symptoms in the drug exposed infant, and the appropriate commencement and monitoring of evidence-based pharmaceutical therapy.