Impacts of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale on Follow-up Treatment

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a condition that negatively affects mothers and babies, The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is an effective tool in diagnosing PPD, providing an early alert to PPD symptoms, allowing providers to implement evidence-based treatment options. Literature revealed there is a lack of provider knowledge coupled with a lack of appropriate resources preventing providers from offering follow-up care, specifically in rural areas. This literature review determines if administering the EPDS impacts mental health referrals and medication prescriptions for postpartum patients in rural primary care settings. Initial search included PPD depression treatment recommendations, PPD treatment, EPDS, PPD screening tools, diagnostic criteria, PPD treatment barriers, low-income treatment barriers to PPD, and predictors of PPD service use. The literature review included databases from Nursing Reference Center, PubMed, and CINAHL, using keywords postpartum depression, Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, mental health, and rural, peer-reviewed journal articles, and systematic reviews from 2019 to present. Exclusion criteria include studies on urban areas and those older than 2019. The literature highlights that using the EPDS leads to stronger treatment outcomes in postpartum collaborative care, highlighting the barriers to care faced in rural areas, since a lack of literature exists about PPD in rural areas. EPDS screening improves accurate and timely diagnosis, provides better treatment options including both pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions. Although providers may need more education regarding screening for PPD in rural areas, the EPDS should be implemented to provide postpartum mothers access to current evidence-based options.