Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
9-29-2026
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Beverly Clark
Abstract
Perinatal depression (PND) is prevalent worldwide and frequently remains undetected and untreated due to inconsistent screening. At the project site, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was administered postpartum only, without standardization. This quality improvement project implemented evidence-based provider education and a revised EPDS protocol, screening once per trimester and postpartum, to increase PND identification, provider self-confidence, self-efficacy, and behavioral health referral rates. This project was guided by Lewin’s Change Theory and the Donabedian framework. A quantitative pre-post design was used with nine providers in an outpatient women’s health clinic, alongside a retrospective and post-implementation electronic health record (EHR) review. The intervention included provider education on untreated PND, current screening guidelines, and the standardized EPDS protocol. Outcomes were measured using a provider confidence survey, the General Self-Efficacy (GSE) Scale, and EHR data over a three-week post-implementation period. Statistical analysis using the Chi-Square test showed antepartum screening increased significantly, from 2.63% to 40%, χ²(1, N = 53) = 13.10, p < .001, while identification and diagnosis rates showed no significant change. Provider confidence demonstrated a ceiling effect, with all providers reporting confidence at both time points. Post-intervention GSE scores were high (M=34.67, SD = 2.24), though the absence of a pre-intervention score prevented statistical comparison over time. Limitations included a small sample size and a three-week timeframe. The project demonstrated that standardizing perinatal EPDS protocols advances nursing practice by establishing evidence-based screening, decreasing diagnostic delays, and designing sustainable workflows.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Keeney, Megan, "Quality Improvement Project: Providing Evidence-Based Practice Education on Administering the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening During Visits Once Per Trimester and Postpartum" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 402.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/402
