Postpartum Depression Screening

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Just wondering if anyone out there uses any type of postpartum depression screening before discharge. I have heard of a few that are using them. If you are using a depression screening what type of referral service do you have in place. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in ICU, ED.

We have a Life After Delivery Book that we give all moms when they arrive to Mother/Baby Unit. As part of our discharge teaching requirements, we education them on signs/symptoms of PP depression and give them a phone number they can call if they are having troubles. (We have a group called Mother Matters, which is a support group for mothers who experience anxiety and/or depression r/t childbirth. It's run by nurses on the unit who have experienced similar issues.) If we feel the patient is in need of assistance, we make sure that prior to discharge we send a referral form to one of the nurses who works with Mother Matters and they do a follow up and we give the moms the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.

Hope this helps!

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check out Cheryl Beck's Postpartum Depression Screening Scale; I'm not a L&D nurse, so I can't tell you anything from experience, but the research I've done on it indicates it's a more reliable screening tool than Beck's (not the same person) Depression Inentory and others

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Specializes in psychiatric ER, Mental Health.

I just delivered in November. I had to take the screening. I know NJ has been doing it for months now.

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I just delivered in November. I had to take the screening. I know NJ has been doing it for months now.

what screening?

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