Perinatal depression screening in healthy start: an evaluation of the acceptability of technical assistance consultation.

ABSTRACT

In 2001, Healthy Start was required to screen for maternal depression. To support this mandate, technical assistance (TA) consultations were provided to eleven programs. Participant evaluations assessed TA recipients' views, a foundational level of program evaluation. Staff evaluated TA presentations immediately; and directors assessed its helpfulness in a 6-month and a 5-year follow-up. Staff believed their knowledge increased significantly; the majority rated TA presentations as "useful" to "very useful." Most directors rated TA as "useful" or "very useful" in achieving TA goals, reported having "few" or "no" obstacles in screening, and rated staff as "willing" or "very willing" to screen. A range of educational programs have been developed to assist the implementation of maternal depression screening. The current evaluation indicates that diverse types of programs held positive views of TA consultation and believed it was effective. The success of the method argues for further development.