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Screening for Postpartum Depression During Infant Well Child Visits: A Retrospective Chart Review
Kathryn Lamere1,2, Natalia Golova1
1Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians screen mothers for postpartum depression (PPD) at the infant's 1, 2, 4, and 6-month well child (WC) visits. Despite these recommendations, less than 50% of mothers are screened nationally. We evaluated the impact of a statewide quality improvement initiative that implemented routine screening for PPD utilizing the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) at AAP recommended WC visits. A total of 224 patients were included. Screening rates increased significantly at all four WC visits (P < .01). A higher prevalence of positive EPDS screens was detected in mothers with a history of a mental health condition (P = .009) and in mothers who reported recent food or housing insecurity (P = .02). EPDS screening was successfully implemented through a statewide initiative in a busy hospital-based pediatric clinic. Pediatricians play an important role in identifying mothers with PPD and referring them to adequate treatment.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians screen mothers for postpartum depression (PPD) at the infant's 1, 2, 4, and 6-month well child (WC) visits. Despite these recommendations, less than 50% of mothers are screened nationally. We evaluated the impact of a statewide quality improvement initiative that implemented routine screening for PPD utilizing the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) at AAP recommended WC visits. A total of 224 patients were included. Screening rates increased significantly at all four WC visits (P < .01). A higher prevalence of positive EPDS screens was detected in mothers with a history of a mental health condition (P = .009) and in mothers who reported recent food or housing insecurity (P = .02). EPDS screening was successfully implemented through a statewide initiative in a busy hospital-based pediatric clinic. Pediatricians play an important role in identifying mothers with PPD and referring them to adequate treatment.
