2002 International International Biennial Scientific Meeting

MOVING PERINATAL PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE FROM RESEARCH TO POLICY AND PRACTICE

Donna Stewart

Professor of Women's Mental Health, University of Toronto, Canada

donna.stewart@uhn.on.ca

Although healthcare professionals, governments and policy makers throughout the Western world advocate for optimal psychosocial care for pregnant and puerperal women and their children, it is difficult to operationalize these ideals. Despite the prevalence of depression during pregnancy and postpartum, women are seldom asked about psychosocial issues by their healthcare providers. This presentation will describe recent multidisciplinary work in Canada to develop an evidence-based tool (ALPHA) and educational program for health care professionals to improve psychosocial screening and services to perinatal mothers. The difficult challenges and strategies along the road of moving this tool from research to partial inclusion on the provincial antenatal record will be described by a physician researcher and women's health advocate who was at the research and policy tables.