Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
8-4-2023
Upload Date
2024
First Advisor
Debra Schulte
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent mental health disorder that negatively impacts maternal behavior and infant development. Despite a global incidence of around 12% (Ti & Curtis, 2019), current screening practices are inadequate. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG, 2018) recommends universal screening using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at least once during pregnancy. However, the project site in an obstetrical clinic currently does not screen during pregnancy. This quantitative quality improvement project in a Memphis, TN, obstetrical clinic used systematic data collection of EPDS scores of pregnant women and analysis to investigate the effectiveness of implementing EPDS during the prenatal period. The project followed the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model to implement practice changes and education for all staff. To collect the necessary data, the EPDS was administered to participants during the prenatal period preceding all prenatal appointments during a four-week period. The average EPDS score was M = 7.4 (SD = 6.64), with 14 participants (31%) scoring ten or greater, indicating possible depression. These findings demonstrate the importance of implementing prenatal screening for depression and its potential impact on identifying at-risk individuals.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Didier, Cherie, "Early Identification of Postpartum Depression Symptoms During the Antenatal Period Through the Utilization of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale" (2023). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 58.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/58
