Health Professionals Update – Vol. 19, No. 23
From:
Dr. Nicholas Brandon, MD, MA, MSc, CCFP, FRCPC
Associate Medical Officer of Health
In this issue
Updated Family Health – Health Care Provider Letter for Perinatal Mental Health
Key messages
- Family Health Public Health Nurses use screening tools to identify perinatal mental health symptoms as part of client services.
- Screening tools include:
- Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‑item Scale (GAD-7)
- Patient Health Questionnaire 9‑item Depression Scale (PHQ-9)
- Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
- Symptoms experienced or identified during the nursing assessment are documented.
Health care providers will receive the updated Family Health - Health Care Provider Letter by fax from a Public Health Nurse who has identified further mental health support is needed for clients experiencing perinatal mental health symptoms.
Health care provider letter
The updated Family Health – Health Care Provider Letter is used to refer clients experiencing perinatal mental health symptoms. This letter outlines our public health interventions and additional community supports for consideration.
Sample letter
Contact us
The Health Professionals Update (HPU) is distributed to physician offices in Peel region via fax or email. Share this update with other health professionals in your clinic.
More information
- Review past HPUs
- Subscribe to HPU emails
- For questions about this update, email healthprofessionals@peelregion.ca