{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T08:44:46Z","timestamp":1792140286484,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Knowledge Enterprise Journals","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785456000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["MRAJ"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) screening is commonly performed at the 6-week postpartum visit, yet subsequent referral patterns and clinical outcomes are incompletely characterized. Methods: A single center cohort study was conducted using electronic health records of patients with a completed EPDS screen at the 6-week postpartum clinic between 2014-2023. Exposure was categorized as screen negative (EPDS 0-9) or screen positive (EPDS &gt;=10) for depressive symptoms. Primary outcome: the proportion of new mental health referrals made (to social work and\/or psychiatry services) following the 6-week postpartum EPDS screen up to 1 year after childbirth. Secondary outcomes: the proportions referred to each specialty after 6 weeks and during the peripartum period (antenatal to 1 year postpartum); patient variables associated with specialty referral from 6 weeks to 1 year postpartum using a multivariable logistic regression model; timing of postpartum referrals after 6-week EPDS screening; and psychiatric (medications, hospitalizations, ICD10 mental-health diagnosis code) and infant associated outcomes within 1 year of childbirth. Results: Of 41,790 deliveries, 8,155 patients met inclusion criteria. 12.6% received a new mental health referral following 6-week postpartum EPDS screening up to 1 year after childbirth. After screening, social work and psychiatry referrals occurred in 4.7% and 3.7% of negative-screened patients and 37.1% and 19.5% of positive-screened patients, respectively. Across the peripartum period, social work and psychiatry referrals occurred in 8.6% and 17.5% of negative-screened patients, and 42.0% and 42.5% of positive-screened patients, respectively. Variables associated with referrals (6 weeks to 1 year postpartum) included marital status, ASA grade &gt;=3, delivery of a non-viable fetus, neonatal intensive care hospitalization, psychiatric diagnosis, and medication use. Referrals within 2 months postpartum were more frequent following positive screening compared to negative screening; Social Work (84% vs 49%); Psychiatry (53% vs 32%). Psychiatric medications, hospitalizations, ICD10 mental-health diagnoses and infant associated outcomes were more frequent following positive screening. Conclusion: Positive EPDS screening postpartum was associated with increased referrals to social work and psychiatry services; however a critical gap persists between positive screening and specialty referral, diagnosis, and treatment initiation. Findings support longitudinal mental health screening across the peripartum period.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.18103\/mra.2026.0389","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T05:05:22Z","timestamp":1782795922000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Patient outcomes following positive depression screening at the postpartum clinic: a single center retrospective cohort study"],"prefix":"10.18103","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Pervez","family":"Sultan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nan","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Natasha","family":"Harrison","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dipro","family":"Chakraborty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kimberly","family":"Mendoza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Natsumi","family":"Kii","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Sapporo Medical University, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brendan","family":"Carvalho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Danielle","family":"Mari Panelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aleesha","family":"Jasmin Jethwa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"7483","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]},"container-title":["Medical Research Archives"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/esmed.org\/MRA\/mra\/article\/download\/7730\/99193550420","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/esmed.org\/MRA\/mra\/article\/download\/7730\/99193550420","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T07:59:01Z","timestamp":1792137541000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/esmed.org\/MRA\/mra\/article\/view\/7730"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.18103\/mra.2026.0389","relation":{},"ISSN":["2375-1924","2375-1916"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2375-1924","type":"electronic"},{"value":"2375-1916","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]]}}}