Using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to achieve best practice standards

Abstract

The present paper reports the findings of a quantitative descriptive study that evaluated the use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as a screening tool in the child health context. Two hundred and sixty-one women who attended child health clinics in one metropolitan health region of Western Australia over a designated 4-week period for a 6-8 week or 7-9 month health scheduled infant screening assessment agreed to participate. The study aimed to (i) identify the proportion of women in the study who scored 13 or greater on the EPDS; (ii) evaluate current practice outcomes from the use of the EPDS by child health nurses and; (iii) report demographic variables associated with scores obtained from participants. Findings showed that the EPDS is a useful screening tool to identify women who may be at risk of developing depression during the postpartum period. However, the study also identified a weakness in clinical practice protocols, with some child health nurses not referring women who reported symptoms of depression on the self-report scale. Therefore, to ensure best practice standards more education regarding clinical practice protocols needs to be implemented with child health nurses in order to facilitate optimal outcomes for women using the self-report scale.

A pilot study on identification of perinatal depressive symptoms in mother-child health clinics: Community nurses can make a difference

“…This was attributed to both the stigma associated with these services and often to their inaccessibility. Similar findings have been reported by Downie et al [52] . This would indicate that most of the support, and as much professional intervention as possible, would best be conducted in the framework of the MCHC clinic.…”

Severe Maternal Morbidity and Postpartum Depressive Symptomatology: A Prospective Double Cohort Comparison Study

“…The present study results also support the notion that postpartum depressive symptomatology improves over time (Escriba‐Aguir, Royo‐Marques, Artazcoz, Romito, & Ruiz‐Perez, ), as evidenced by the overall EPDS score improvement from 1 to 6 months postpartum. The observed mean EPDS scores of approximately 3.0 at 1‐month postpartum, which represents no evidence of depressive symptoms (Downie et al, ), resolved to a score of less than 1.0 at 6 months postpartum.…”

Applying new techniques to an old ally: A qualitative validation study of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale

“…4,[24][25][26] Research on the validity and reliability of the EPDS in different populations is extensive, including studies that have examined its translation into a variety of languages. 10 However, there continues to be apprehension about such wide-spread screening initiatives because of disagreement about the psychometric properties of screening tools in general and whether screening actually improves clinical outcomes.…”