title: Screening practices for postpartum depression among various health care providers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the frequency with which health care providers screen for postpartum depression (PPD), assess attitudes towards routine screening and identify barriers to screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-two providers (recruited via electronic mailing lists, postal mailings and colleague referrals) completed a survey designed for this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-one percent of participants endorsed routine screening for PPD. Differences in frequency of screening among obstetricians, nurses and midwives were not detected. Only 17% of participants reported using a screening instrument; 74% of participants favored a clinical interview, which did not necessarily correspond to DSM criteria for depression. Of participants who do not routinely screen all patients, 15% report intending to screen, but are sometimes unable to complete screening due to a lack of time or other reason. Mean self-reported knowledge of PPD did not differ among those participants who endorsed routine screening versus those who did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many providers from the current sample report screening for PPD; sometimes screening efforts may be incomplete and there are identified barriers to screening. Implications for clinical practice remain unclear. While a number of effective screening instruments exist, additional research is needed to evaluate where screening should occur and how to manage positive screens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Drexel University College of Medicine, 245 North 15th Street, MS 515, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA. cpsaros@partners.org
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Psaros
authors.forename: Pamela A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: Anthony C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sciscione
authors.forename: Alexa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonacquisti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'