Date of Conferral

7-23-2026

Date of Award

July 2026

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Jill Sanko

Abstract

This staff education project addressed inconsistent staff knowledge of prenatal depression screening and follow-up protocols in an outpatient behavioral health practice serving prenatal patients. Prenatal depression is a nursing practice concern because delayed identification and inconsistent follow-up may affect maternal well-being, infant outcomes, family functioning, and timely access to behavioral health support. The practice-focused question was: According to the evidence, among clinical staff in an outpatient maternal mental health setting, what is the impact of structured staff education on adherence to prenatal depression screening on follow-up protocol knowledge? The purpose was to improve clinical staff knowledge through a structured education intervention. Educational products included a PowerPoint presentation, quick-reference handout, follow-up protocol workflow aid, knowledge assessment, attendance log, and participant evaluation form. I used descriptive analysis to compare pre- and post-education knowledge scores and summarize participant evaluation results. Fourteen staff members completed the education, pretest, posttest, and participant evaluation form. Mean knowledge scores increased from 5.71/10 before education to 9.36/10 after education, representing a 36.4 percentage-point gain. Staff meeting the 80% benchmark increased from one participant to all 14 participants. Evaluation results were positive, with all items rated in the agree to strongly agree range. Recommendations include incorporating the education into onboarding, maintaining workflow tools, and conducting periodic documentation review. The project supports nursing practice by promoting more consistent screening for depression with greater follow-up for at-risk prenatal patients.

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