Improving postpartum depression screening in pediatric primary care: A quality improvement project

Abstract Background Despite recommendations for standardized postpartum depression screening in primary care pediatrics, few pediatric healthcare providers are adequately screening mothers for postpartum depression. Aims To improve standardized screening for postpartum depression in the pediatric primary care setting. Secondary aims were to determine if infant and family characteristics (gender of infant, feeding method, insurance type, income level, ethnicity of infant) were associated with positive postpartum depression screening. Methods This quality improvement project involved implementing a standardized postpartum depression screening tool into pediatric primary care practice. Independent samples t -test and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results Postpartum depression screening practices improved from 83% to 88% ( p  = 0.096). Although not statistically significant, infant characteristics of male gender, Medicaid or sliding-scale payment for services, and Hispanic ethnicity were associated with higher rates of positive postpartum depression screens. Conclusions Pediatric health care providers can effectively screen for postpartum depression. Certain infant and family characteristics may alert the provider to higher risks for mothers.