Translating Research Into Practice for Postpartum Depression

This is a study to assess the impact of introducing screening and planned follow up for postpartum depression. All women ages 18 to 45 who speak English or Spanish who come to the enrolled community family medicine offices will either be given usual care or screened using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening tool. If the EDPS score is high the women will be given the PHQ-9 to more clearly identify the specific likelihood of being depressed. Women who are determined to be depressed will be treated with medication or counseling based on the preference of the women and their physicians. Women will be followed through nurse initiated phone calls and visits to the physicians office. Outcomes include the level of depression symptoms, measure of comfort with parenting, and satisfaction with partner relationships comparing baseline levels with those at 6 and 12 months from the usual care and intervention sites. These data will be collected by questionnaire. In addition, with the women's permission, medical records will be reviewed.