Abstract

Approximately 400,000 mothers in the United States experience postpartum depression (PPD) each year (National Women's Health Information Center, 2001). However, only a small proportion of these women are identified as depressed by health care professionals. There are no specific guidelines for screening PPD, however, only provider recommendations. This quantitative, descriptive study examined how well providers are screening post partum women at their visits. One hundred and twenty five medical charts of three Obstetricians and Gynecologists, one Certified Nurse Midwife and one Family Nurse Practitioner were reviewed at one Northern Kentucky clinic. The review utilized a data collection tool prepared by the investigator. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

A retrospective chart review was completed on 127 charts at this Northern Kentucky practice. It was found that providers were screening only 63% of the time. Further research is warranted to establish plausible reasons for this deficit in care.