Integrated e-Screening for Postnatal Depression and Anxiety

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One in seven women will experience depression or anxiety after the birth of their baby; however 60% of cases will go undetected. The identification of postnatal depression (PND) or anxiety is not part of the routine care provided by health care systems, meaning that only 10% of women experiencing these difficulties will receive treatment. This is mainly due to not screening for, and identifying, postnatal depression or anxiety. Although methods to identify PND exist, they are inconsistently carried out, and are prone to error as primary care professionals lack time as well as a clear system when making decisions on how to manage depression. We have co-developed a tablet-based application (e-screening tool) to screen for postnatal depression and to conduct a broad assessment of a woman’s well-being. This tool will help health professionals to identify postnatal depression and/or anxiety easily, accurately and consistently and provide best-practice guidance tailored to women’s responses. To determine whether our e-screening tool will be useful for health professionals in identifying PND, we will compare it to the existing method of screening and identification that is currently used by health professionals. The success of the new system will be measured by its capacity to deliver real improvements to the healthcare system. The new e-screening tool aims to be quicker, more accurate, involve less staff time and resources, be used more frequently, and lead to improvements in treatment and recovery rates for depressed women. Ultimately, this trial could lead to a cost-effective and sustainable new system.

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