title: Can pediatricians accurately identify maternal depression at well-child visits?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The feasibility of a two-item screening tool for maternal depression in a pediatric setting was recently reported. We assessed whether the accuracy of pediatrician recognition of maternal depression during the one-month well-child visit could be improved by an educational intervention using the two-item screening tool.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted an educational intervention for pediatric residents in a suburban hospital in Tokyo, Japan, with outcome measurement before and after. Resident education included knowledge about postpartum depression and its impact on children, use of the two-item screening tool and available management strategies. Sixteen pediatric residents examined 267 mother-infant dyads during well-child visits. Residents documented the presence or absence of postpartum depressive symptoms on medical records. Depressive symptoms were also determined using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) survey; residents were not aware of the results. Using the EPDS as a "gold standard," improvement in sensitivity and specificity of resident recognition of maternal depressive symptoms was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of postpartum depressive symptoms based on the EPDS was 15.4%. The sensitivity of resident recognition was 8% and specificity 98% before intervention, and 12% and 96% afterwards, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant. Residents indicated fear of maternal stigmatization and mothers' receptiveness to discussing depressive symptoms, as well as lack of time and skills, as major barriers to the identification of maternal depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A simple educational intervention using a two-item screening tool did not improve the pediatrician's accuracy in detecting depressive symptoms in mothers. Additional strategies to address perceived barriers may be needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Healthcare Research, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. hiroki.mishina@gmail.com
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mishina
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashino
authors.forename: John Ichiro
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuhara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult