A Project to Improve Postpartum Depression Screening Practices Among Providers in a Community Women's Health Care Clinic.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this project was to improve health care providers' postpartum depression (PPD) knowledge and screening practices with the implementation of a standardized screening tool.

DESIGN: The plan-do-study-act model was used as a framework to measure and implement a practice change aimed at universal screening for PPD.

SETTING/LOCAL PROBLEM: Health care providers' screening practices for PPD were inconsistent and lacked use of a standardized screening tool at a southwestern U.S. community women's health care clinic serving minority women of lower socioeconomic status.

PARTICIPANTS: Health care providers at a community women's health care clinic.

INTERVENTION/MEASUREMENTS: A single educational in-service was presented to health care providers regarding preventive PPD screening practices and documentation recommendations. Measurements included pre- and post-education questionnaire results and electronic health record chart reviews.

RESULTS: A significant increase in PPD screening documentation rates from 56% to 92.7% (p < .5) was found.

CONCLUSION: PPD screening education for health care providers and the addition of EPDS criteria to the electronic health record were associated with increased screening rates for PPD at a community women's health care clinic.