2002 International International Biennial Scientific Meeting

"PRIMUM NON NOCERE" IN THE REAL WORLD - HOW WE PRESCRIBE DURING PREGNANCY AND BREAST FEEDING AND THE SEARCH FOR PRACTICAL BEST PRACTICE

Sara Weeks* and other members of the New Zealand perinatal psychiatry peer review group

* Mensana Clinic, Auckland New Zealand

mensana@excom.co.nz

Prescribing during pregnancy and breastfeeding can be fraught with difficulty. While ethical (primum non nocere) and research (risk/benefit and evidence based practice) issues are important, this workshop will focus on practical aspects of prescribing and will be heavily interactive.

The idea for the workshop arose out of discussions in our maternal mental health peer review group which meets monthly, with an alternate monthly national teleconference. We noticed that we had somewhat different prescribing habits and approaches to discussion with patients about medication in pregnancy and breast feeding.

Our hope is that this workshop will help us to reach some sort of "peer reviewed" prescribing guidelines and mutually assist psychiatrists to feel more informed and comfortable prescribing for patients.

We will present case histories and use these to focus the discussion, bringing in research and personal clinical experience.