Screening Practices for Postpartum Depression Among Various Health Care Providers

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency with which health care providers screen for postpartum depression (PPD), assess attitudes towards routine screening and identify barriers to screening. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty-two providers (recruited via electronic mailing lists, postal mailings and colleague referrals) completed a survey designed for this study. RESULTS: Sixty-one percent of participants endorsed routine screening for PPD. Differences in frequency of screening among obstetricians, nurses and midwives were not detected. Only 17% of participants reported using a screening instrument; 74% of participants favored a clinical interview, which did not necessarily correspond to DSM criteria for depression. Of participants who do not routinely screen all patients, 15% report intending to screen, but are sometimes unable to complete screening due to a lack of time or other reason. Mean self-reported knowledge of PPD did not differ among those participants who endorsed routine screening versus those who did not. CONCLUSION: Many providers from the current sample report screening for PPD; sometimes screening efforts may be incomplete and there are identified barriers to screening. Implications for clinical practice remain unclear. While a number of effective screening instruments exist, additional research is needed to evaluate where screening should occur and how to manage positive screens.