>Susan: please post more information about the service. Who
>runs it, who uses it, how is it paid for, who staffs it, etc.
>Also what about the data links you mentioned.  Sounds
>like a great resource! Thanks
>.....................................
>Anne Andrianos, MSN, IBCLC


Hi Anne:

Sorry to take so long responding it has been a little hectic!  I wanted to
give you as much accurate information as I could.  The Motherrisk program
was initiated by a family physician at through the clinical pharmacology
service at our local children's hospital, she has since left and it has been
taken over by the poison control centre.
Originally it was set up with three areas of activity.

Telephone Centre:

It was to provide telephone information about drugs in pregnancy and
lactation and to be avaiable to physicians and patients and is part of the
regional poison information centre.  Nurses operate the service with
physician back up, the majority of calls are not serious in nature.

Motherrisk Clinic:

There is a consultation service to provide individual risk assessment and
risk management advice re drug/chemical/radiation effects upon the fetus
available via physician referrarl only.  It is available to women who are
pregnant or are considering pregnancy the main groups seen are 1.
Inadvertant exposure, therapeutic exposure and drug abuse.

Research Activity:

The program for pregnancy outcome surveillance in cooperation with Hospital
for Sick Children in Toronto and select areas of interest under development.

Some of these ares may have changed slightly but my pre-natal clients who
know about the service tell me they have accessed to check out medications
and I have referred a client who was breastfeeding and experiencing panic
attacks, she was treated in an emergency department and told at 1 week
postpartum to stop breastfeeding.  When she called this service not only did
they tell her she could continue to breastfeed but also that the dosage
prescribed was incorrect!

As for the data banks I could not find my notes on those and I have not had
time to call them but I understand there are pharmacological data banks that
are kept up to date, and this it seems is what they use.  I will try to get
more information and let you know.

Susan Moxley IBCLC
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