Nurse-Led Initiatives to Implement Universal Screening for Perinatal Emotional Complications

Perinatal emotional complications are the most common pregnancy complications in the United States. This article reviews three recent studies that illustrate the prevalence of and risk factors for perinatal emotional complications and sheds light on the inconsistency of screening by health care providers in acute care and outpatient settings. Also presented is an example of nurse-led quality improvement initiatives aimed at implementing universal screening in a rural New England county, which resulted in 100% screening with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale across health care facilities within the community, as well as a system-wide change in the approach to identifying and treating perinatal emotional complications.