Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the screening of women for postpartum depression by a telephone assessment after hospital discharge.
Subjects & Methods: Two standaridzed screening instruments, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), were used to screen for PPD during a series of follow up phone calls. A convenience sample of mothers (N=117; Gravida 1-9)ranging in age from 17-43 were recruited from a midwestern community hospital. Background information including;client history,family history,and birth experience data was obtained before discharge. The EPDS was administered at two weeks postpartum, and the PDSS was administered between six and eight weeks.
Results: The total scores for the EPDS and both the short and long form of the PDSS correlated significantely, (r=.691, p,.01), and (r=.646, p,<.01). The correlations between the short form of the PDSS and the sub-scales scores are notably higher than the correlations with the EPDS tool. At two weeks, 12% of the women had positive screening scores indicating moderate to sever depression, and received a referral for follow-up care. The number of women with a positive screen increased to 24% by eight weeks, with 9% of those women having scores high enough to suggest the presence of severe depression.
Conclusion: A critical period for screening for PPD is 2-8 weeks after hospital discharge. Use of a telephone assessment by nurses is a key factor in identifying women with PPD. The use of the seven-item short form of the PDSS is easily implimented offering an efficient method for evaluating the existance of PPD. A positive screen with the short form can be further evaluated immediately with the full 35-item scale, leading to the appropriate and critical referral.
Session #1182 - Post Partum & Care of Infants
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)