Summary of current evidence for digital health interventions in the screening and management of postpartum depression
Related Experiment Videos
Tingting Xiang1, Shuting Zou1, Wei Huang2
1First Department of Obstetrics, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Aim:
To identify, appraise, summarise, and synthesise current evidence on digital health strategies for postpartum depression (PPD) screening and management, and to develop practice-oriented recommendations to support evidence-informed clinical nursing practice.
Methods:
Using the 6S evidence hierarchy to guide the retrieval sequence, we performed a wide literature search of clinical decision-support resources, guideline repositories, professional organisations' websites, and major Chinese and international databases from their inception to May 1, 2026. Eligible evidence sources included clinical practice guidelines, evidence summaries, and systematic reviews relevant to digital screening, intervention, follow-up, or continuing care for PPD. Two trained reviewers independently screened the literature, assessed the methodological quality of the publications, extracted evidence statements, and synthesised the recommendations given. This evidence summary followed the reporting specifications of the Fudan University Center for Evidence-based Nursing, which are based on the methodological process of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), including problem establishment, literature retrieval, literature screening, literature evaluation, evidence synthesis and grading, and formulation of practical recommendations. The study registration number is 'ES202610615'.
Results:
In total, 16 publications were identified and included in the present study, comprising 2 guidelines, 13 systematic reviews, and 1 evidence summary. From these, 20 key evidence points were extracted and discussed, and 20 evidence statements were generated and then categorised into 5 domains: digital screening and assessment, delivery modalities, intervention components, continuity of care, and implementation issues.
Conclusion:
Digital health technologies can extend the reach of PPD screening and management, but their implementation should be carefully adapted to address local service capacity, user needs, referral pathways, privacy requirements, and adherence risks. The 20 evidence statements summarised in this review could help guide the development of standardised, continuous, and patient-centred digital management models for PPD.
