Breaking Down Barriers to Postpartum Depression Screening

Introduction: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects many women and is one of the most common complications during the postpartum period. Health care providers who care for women and/or their children are in a position to assist women during this difficult time in their lives. Objectives: The goals of the original manuscript are to assess North Carolina obstetricians/gynecologists (OB/GYNs) and certified nurse midwives (CNMs) attitudes and practice patterns towards PPD screening as well as assess what barriers hinder PPD screening particularly in lower income/underserved populations of NC. The goals of the systematic review are to assess providers’ attitudes and practice patterns regarding PPD screening, diagnosis, and treatment as well as to assess barriers to PPD screening. Methods: A pre-validated survey was administered to NC OB/GYNs and CNMs via the American College of Obstetricians/Gynecologists and the American College of Nurse Midwives. The systematic review was developed through a search via Medline of the current literature on providers who see women and/or their children during the postpartum period attitudes and practice patterns regarding PPD screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Results: The original manuscript demonstrated that most providers, particularly those who work with lower income/underserved populations attempt to screen and treat PPD but are hindered by barriers including lack of mental health providers to whom to refer and lack of knowledge about PPD. The systematic review demonstrated that most providers included have positive attitudes towards PPD screening and feel responsible for screening but actual screening practices differ based on their knowledge/training on PPD screening, diagnosis, and treatment as well as. Barriers found through the literature search were similar to those found in the original research including lack of time to screen, lack of knowledge about PPD, and lack of mental health professionals of whom to refer. Conclusion: Most providers surveyed in the original manuscript and in the articles included in the systematic review believe that PPD screening is important and the majority do screen but many are hindered by multiple barriers most commonly lack of mental health professionals whom to refer.Master of Public Healt