Best practice guidelines for the nurse practitioner regarding screening, prevention, and management of postpartum depression.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to design a means to educate the registered nurse or nurse practitioner on epidemiology, signs and symptoms, risk factors, screening tools, management, and complications that can occur with delayed diagnosis of postpartum depression. A decision tree was also developed to help the registered nurse or nurse practitioner understand the best clinical practice guidelines regarding the best screening tool to use, when the tool should be used, and management of patients identified with postpartum depression.


RESULTS
Best practice guidelines were developed from the literature review.
Neiman
Stephanie
S
Texas Woman's University College of Nursing, Dallas Center-Parkland Campus, Dallas, USA. princess_stephanie_85@yahoo.com
Carter
Sherry
S
Van Sell
Sharon
S
Kindred
Chris
C
D000465:Algorithms; D019985:Benchmarking / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003663:Decision Trees; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors