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Postpartum depression: the (in) experience of B razilian primary healthcare professionals
Author(s) -
Santos Junior Hudson Pires Oliveira,
Rosa Gualda Dulce Maria,
Fátima Araújo Silveira Maria,
Hall Wendy Anne
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06112.x
Subject(s) - postpartum depression , medicine , depression (economics) , postpartum period , psychiatry , family medicine , health care , nursing , primary care , qualitative research , health professionals , pregnancy , social science , genetics , sociology , biology , economics , macroeconomics , economic growth
Aim This article reports experiences of B razilian physicians and nurses caring for women with postpartum depression in primary healthcare settings. Background Prevalence of postpartum depression in B razil ranges from 12–37%, which fits with international claims about differences in the magnitude of the problem and consistency of screening. Design Qualitative descriptive. Method This study was situated in health units of the Family Health Strategy in C ampina G rande, B razil. Data were collected from September 2010–January 2011 through open‐ended interviews with ten nurses and seven physicians, observations, and field diary records. Inductive content analysis was used to develop categories. Findings Three categories: (1) Limited professional exposure to postpartum depression; (2) Postpartum depression as the domain of psychiatry; and (3) Challenges dealing with postpartum depression demonstrated that few professionals felt postpartum depression merited their attention. Women, with signs of postpartum depression, were usually identified by family members who noticed behaviours that seemed abnormal. Care providers indicated they had inadequate time and access to screening techniques to identify women with depression attending unit‐based pregnancy and postpartum groups. When identified, women were referred directly to psychiatric care. Conclusion Without consistent screening and diagnostic techniques, B razilian health professionals are insecure about identifying and treating cases of postpartum depression. Referring women to psychiatric units entail more time for women to be diagnosed and treated and increased costs for health services. Primary healthcare professionals require training to screen, identify, and treat postpartum depression in primary healthcare settings.