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BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

Approaches to health-care provider education and professional development in perinatal depression: a systematic review

Authors: Laura E. Legere, Katherine Wallace, Angela Bowen, Karen McQueen, Phyllis Montgomery, Marilyn Evans

Published in: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

Perinatal depression is the most common mental illness experienced by pregnant and postpartum women, yet it is often under-detected and under-treated. Some researchers suggest this may be partly influenced by a lack of education and professional development on perinatal depression among health-care providers, which can negatively affect care and contribute to stigmatization of women experiencing altered mood. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to provide a synthesis of educational and professional development needs and strategies for health-care providers in perinatal depression.

Methods

A systematic search of the literature was conducted in seven academic health databases using selected keywords. The search was limited to primary studies and reviews published in English between January 2006 and May/June 2015, with a focus on perinatal depression education and professional development for health-care providers. Studies were screened for inclusion by two reviewers and tie-broken by a third. Studies that met inclusion criteria were quality appraised and data extracted. Results from the studies are reported through narrative synthesis.

Results

Two thousand one hundred five studies were returned from the search, with 1790 remaining after duplicate removal. Ultimately, 12 studies of moderate and weak quality met inclusion criteria. The studies encompassed quantitative (n = 11) and qualitative (n = 1) designs, none of which were reviews, and addressed educational needs identified by health-care providers (n = 5) and strategies for professional development in perinatal mental health (n = 7). Consistently, providers identified a lack of formal education in perinatal mental health and the need for further professional development. Although the professional development interventions were diverse, the majority focused on promoting identification of perinatal depression and demonstrated modest effectiveness in improving various outcomes.

Conclusions

This systematic review reveals a lack of strong research in multi-disciplinary, sector, site, and modal approaches to education and professional development for providers to identify and care for women at risk for, or experiencing, depression. To ensure optimal health outcomes, further research comparing diverse educational and professional development approaches is needed to identify the most effective strategies and consistently meet the needs of health-care providers.

Trial registration

A protocol for this systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (Protocol number: CRD42015023701), June 21, 2015.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Approaches to health-care provider education and professional development in perinatal depression: a systematic review
Authors
Laura E. Legere
Katherine Wallace
Angela Bowen
Karen McQueen
Phyllis Montgomery
Marilyn Evans
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2393
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-017-1431-4

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