Impacting Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Rates by Educating Pre-Licensure Students about the Importance of Ongoing Assessments for Postpartum Depression

Abstract

By Melissa Sawma, Nursing; Morgan Reyes, Nursing

Advisor: Carolyn Smith

Abstract: Currently in the United States, 1 out of 10 women experience postpartum depression (PPD) however, a large number go undiagnosed (Clevesy et al., 2018). The mortality rate of mothers has doubled in the United states since 1990 estimated at 18 per 100,000 births (Columbia University, 2019). While postpartum depression diagnosis rates drop after the first month postpartum, existing research shows that there is a significant number of women who suffer from PPD up to and beyond one-year postpartum. PPD has been shown to be up to 20 times more common in individuals who belong to populations considered high risk, such as those with previous mental health diagnoses (Schaar, 2013). The purpose of our project is to educate prelicensure nursing students on the importance of ongoing screening for postpartum depression for up to a year following birth, and across the broad range of clinical practice areas. This project will provide education on the identification of cues, risk factors, and common screening tools used to assess postpartum depression. This project will evaluate the impact on prelicensure student's level of understanding and confidence regarding their assessment of and use of these tools in their clinical practice.