ACT NOW Research Studies
ECHO researchers are part of one current ACT NOW study, and participated in another two that are now complete. These studies launched in Spring 2021 and aim to determine the best ways for hospitals to care for babies with NOWS.
Funded through The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, the ACT NOW research program aims to test the ways babies with NOWS are assessed, treated, and followed long-term, so that the infants can get the best possible care.
The importance of NOWS research
When a woman uses opioids during pregnancy, her baby may be born with a condition called Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS). The withdrawal symptoms for these babies can include tremors; excessive crying and irritability; and problems with sleeping, feeding, and breathing.
There are currently few standard, evidence-based treatments for NOWS, and doctors and researchers still don’t know much about the long-term effects of this condition.
