- Nurses must be able to support pregnant and postpartum persons in making informed decisions pertaining to pharmacological interventions.
- Although most nurses are not in the primary role of prescribing medications for perinatal depression, as a team member, they must have the knowledge, skills, and judgment to support informed decision-making and access to pharmacological interventions, including being able to do the following in an effective manner:
- assess the state of a person’s knowledge about the indications for treatment;
- have current knowledge of existing treatment options and their associated potential risks and benefits of treatment;
- inform a person that there are no definitive recommendations on pharmacological treatments;
- promote an individualized plan of care as the standard; and
- help a person access up-to-date information from evidence-based sources about the efficacy, safety, and risks of each pharmacological treatment to support informed decision-making.
Women and Children
Assessment and Interventions Perinatal Depression
Point of Care Resources