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.com
Volume 3
Advanced Practices in Nursing
ISSN: 2573-0347
Advanced Nursing Research 2018
June 14-15, 2018
June 14-15, 2018 | Dublin, Ireland
48
th
World Congress on
Advanced Nursing Research
Implementation of the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale at a psychiatric ambulatory clinic
Nnenna Weathers
and
Richard Dass
California State University, USA
W
e evaluated the use of the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) as a screening tool to prevent the misdiagnosis of
postpartum depression (PPD). The Stetler model (SM) was used to guide implementation of the EPDS in an ambulatory
psychiatric setting for this quality improvement project. Women diagnosed with PPD during an eight-week period immediately
prior to the implementation of the EPDS were compared with women diagnosed with PPD using the EPDS during an eight-
week period. Three psychiatrists and one nurse practitioner (NP) agreed to implement the EPDS. A total of 29 pre- and
post-implementation postpartum women (PPW) met inclusion criteria for this project making up the final sample. A total
of 21 PPW were screened with the EPDS. Of those, 21 (100%) were diagnosed with PPD compared to six/eight (75%) PPW
diagnosed with PPD without the use of the EPDS. Participating psychiatrists and the NP diagnosed two (25%) patients with
non-postpartum depression and anxiety during the eight-week period when the EPDS was not used. Screening for postpartum
depression with a tool that supports objective measurement of symptoms may help to more accurately diagnose PPD, and thus
with more appropriate treatment of PPD.
Biography
Nnenna Weathers, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at California State University Los Angeles where she is Director of Nurse Practitioner programs.
Her research interest is in HIV and in other health disparity related research.
nnenna.weathers@calstatela.eduNnenna Weathers et al., Adv Practice Nurs 2018, Volume 3
DOI: 10.4172/2573-0347-C2-020