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Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

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Established Evidence Results

Results for Measure: Postpartum Visit

Below are articles that support specific interventions to advance MCH National Performance Measures (NPMs) and Standardized Measures (SMs). Most interventions contain multiple components as part of a coordinated strategy/approach.

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Displaying records 1 through 1 (1 total).

Lewis N. L. (2020). Developing a Hospital-Based Postpartum Depression Education Intervention for Perinatal Nurses. Journal for nurses in professional development, 36(1), 7–11. https://doi.org/10.1097/NND.0000000000000595

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Provider Training/Education, Nurse/Nurse Practitioner, Group Education,

Intervention Description: A continuing education program for perinatal nursing staff working in the labor and delivery unit, postpartum unit, and nursery was developed. The program was based on a review of literature and consisted of the incidence and prevalence of PPD and issues surrounding stigma associated with PPD. It also included a discussion of the symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of PPD, guidelines for screening, and resources for referral. The role of the nurse in the provision of PPD patient education related to patient teaching and anticipatory guidance was also included.

Intervention Results: For this study, a 10-question PPD knowledge-based pre- and posttest was administered. A paired-samples t test was calculated to compare the mean pretest score to the mean final exam score. The mean score on the pretest was 68.88 (SD = 10.25), and the mean score on the posttest was 94.14 (SD = 8.68). Nurses had a significant increase in PPD knowledge from pretest to posttest, t(24) = −9.690, p < .001.One hundred nine postpartum patients were discharged during the 4-week time prior to the intervention; 0.9% (P1) received postpartum depression (PPD) education prior to discharge. One hundred twenty-nine postpartum patients were discharged over the course of 4 weeks postintervention; 93.8% (P2) received PPD education.

Conclusion: Patient education is an essential component of nursing practice. This study found that perinatal nurses are more likely to provide PPD education to patients when they are more knowledgeable about the condition. It highlights the importance of a needs assessment and continuing education and professional development for nursing staff. Results support the use of continuing education to improve nurses’ confidence in their ability to provide patient education and to increase their knowledge of PPD. The outcomes of this study support research by providing strategies to increase nurses’ ability to educate patients on PPD.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental study

Setting: 150-bed regional hospital with 1,600 annual births

Sample Size: 26 nurses; 49% survey response

Age Range: 24-66

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The MCH Digital Library is one of six special collections at Geogetown University, the nation's oldest Jesuit institution of higher education. It is supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under award number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy with an award of $700,000/year. The library is also supported through foundation and univerity funding. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.