Antenatal depression screening and psychosocial assessment in an Australian private hospital: An evaluation

Universal mental health screening and psychosocial assessment during pregnancy have been recommended as best practice, but uptake of universal programs in the private hospital system has been slow.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Pre-admission Midwife Appointment Program (PMAP), an antenatal mental health screening program at the Mater Hospital, Sydney.

In this mixed-methods design study, PMAP interview data were collected for a consecutive series of 485 women who attended the PMAP during a 10-month period. Women also completed two postnatal telephone interviews (10 weeks and 9 months postpartum). The interviews involved depression screening and questions about the program.

Of the 485 participants, 4.1% screened positive for depression on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. In total, 19% were identified as currently suffering from, or at risk of developing, perinatal mental health issues; referrals to support services were provided for the 13% who were not already linked in with appropriate supports. All women displayed a decrease in depressive symptom severity from pregnancy to 10 weeks and 9 months postpartum. The PMAP was viewed positively by consumers, with >93% viewing the program as helpful and >98% saying that they would recommend the program to others. Additional program benefits identified included opportunities to gain practical information and prepare for motherhood and to think/reflect on their emotional well-being.

Given the observed rates of psychosocial risk among this sample, related referral opportunities and positive consumer feedback, we recommend other Australian private hospitals consider implementing PMAP or similar programs.