Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
Screens for perinatal depression to identify patients needing further evaluation and treatment
- Highest activation tier
- Mandatory
- How it is scored
- Scored in code; a stated value is compared only from the structured summary or a supplied value
- Scoring type
- questionnaire
- Care settings
- Inpatient, Outpatient
When it activates
Scribeable activates a calculator from the encounter. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) can activate when the transcript or pasted chart context documents any of these:
- Postpartum visit screening
- Perinatal mood disorder evaluation
- Prenatal depression screening
- Postpartum depression concern
- Perinatal mental health assessment
A coded diagnosis can also activate it. ICD-10 prefixes carried by the registry: F53, O99.34.
Note-type scope: it activates on notes whose subject resolves to obgyn, psychiatry. A note that resolves to another subject does not carry it even when the clinician's specialty matches; a note with no resolvable subject (a generic consultation) falls back to the specialty match.
Inputs the note needs
10 inputs. Each is resolved from the transcript, the pasted chart context and charted labs; an input marked "asks you" is requested as a clarification when it is undocumented.
| Input | Type | Unit / options | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| I have been able to laugh and see the funny side (0-3) | symptom | ||
| I have looked forward with enjoyment to things (0-3) | symptom | ||
| I have blamed myself unnecessarily when things went wrong (0-3) | symptom | ||
| I have been anxious or worried for no good reason (0-3) | symptom | ||
| I have felt scared or panicky for no good reason (0-3) | symptom | ||
| Things have been getting on top of me (0-3) | symptom | ||
| I have been so unhappy that I have had difficulty sleeping (0-3) | symptom | ||
| I have felt sad or miserable (0-3) | symptom | ||
| I have been so unhappy that I have been crying (0-3) | symptom | ||
| The thought of harming myself has occurred to me (0-3) | symptom |
Scoring
10 questions, each scored 0-3. Maximum score 30. Items 1, 2, 4 are reverse-scored (0=as much as always, 3=not at all). Item 10 screens specifically for self-harm ideation.
Interpretation
<10: Depression unlikely — routine follow-up. 10-12: Possible depression — repeat in 2-4 weeks, supportive counseling. >=13: Likely major depression — formal diagnostic evaluation, consider treatment initiation (therapy, medication). Item 10 positive (any score >0): Assess suicide risk immediately regardless of total score. EPDS validated for prenatal and postnatal use.
Evidence
Sources carried in Scribeable's citation registry for this calculator; guideline version: Cox 1987.
- Cox JL et al. Detection of postnatal depression: development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression ScaleCox et al. (EPDS) 1987 · 1987 · Level I · link last verified 2026-03-28
How Scribeable handles it in the note
When an encounter activates the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at the mandatory tier, Scribeable resolves its inputs from the transcript, the pasted chart context and any charted labs, and asks you for a missing input you can supply before the note is finalised. Bedside-exam and separately ordered study values are not requested one input at a time; a calculator that carries a combined clarification question may still put that single question to you.
The score is computed in code from the resolved inputs, not recalled by the language model. A stated Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) value is compared against the computed one when the draft's structured summary carries it; a disagreement found there is flagged to the second drafting pass, which is instructed to correct the score and its interpretation, unless Scribeable has supplied the computed value to that pass, in which case the value the draft writes is checked against the supplied one and a detected difference is shown beside the note for you to adjudicate rather than silently rewritten.
Classified as a questionnaire: a patient-reported or clinician-rated instrument, where a spare activation carries low harm.
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