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Nurses Knowledge of Postpartum Affective Disorders

Wednesday, 9 July 2008: 8:30 AM
Doris Ugarriza, ARNP, PhD , University of Miami School of Nursing, Coral Gables, FL

Learning Objective 1: identify the incidence of postpartum depressive disorders

Learning Objective 2: formulate interventions for postpartum depression

The incidence of postpartum depression is increasing and health-care providers are not referring women with the illness for treatment. Non-referral is due to two main reasons. The first is the lack of knowledge on the part of health-care providers about postpartum depression and its signs and symptoms. The second is the failure of health-care providers to properly screen for the condition.

The purpose of this study was to assess the degree to which nurse working in primary care facilities understand the signs, symptoms, and growing incidence of postpartum depression.

Using a questionnaire specifically designed for this study, 100 nurse practitioners in the greater Miami-Dade area were tested for the degree of knowledge they have about postpartum depression and how to screen for it.

The results of this pilot study indicate that nurses are unaware of the distinction among postpartum blues, psychosis, and depression, lumping all three under the rubric of postpartum depression. Nurses also have limited knowledge of the treatments available to mothers suffering from postpartum depression and were unaware of the barriers that new mothers encounter in asking and recieving help. The degree to which stigma, breastfeeding, and social pressure affect treatment choices on the part of mothers and health care providers was found to be under-appreciated.

The situation is so grave that many US States have or are considering legislation mandating that health care providers notify all pregnany women that they runa 10% chance of developing a postpartum depressive disorcer. Implications for practice include the suggestion that graduate programs in Nursing contain content of postpartum affective disorders, their identification, severity, and treatment and that practitioners be ecouraged to continue education on developments in this area.

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