Examination of a Behavioral Health Initiative for Women Hospitalized Due to Obstetric Risk

The childbearing years represent a period of high risk for mood and anxiety
disorders. Pregnancy complications, especially those leading to antepartum hospitalization,
increase the risk of mental health concerns. In this quality improvement project, we describe
a newly developed behavioral health service designed to increase inpatient antepartum
women’s access to mental health care. Of the women seen for behavioral health intervention,
29.5% of the women reported elevated symptoms of depression and 47.7% reported elevated
symptoms of anxiety. Results represent a call to action to intervene with hospitalized
antepartum women with elevated depressive or anxiety symptoms.