A retrospective audit of joint mother-baby admissions to the Werribee Mercy mother and baby unit (MBU) and of the severity of maternal depression over the course of admission.

Abstract

This study examined (i) the demographic and illness profiles of mothers admitted to Werribee Mercy MBU in Victoria, Australia and (ii) the severity of maternal depressive symptoms over the course of admission. A retrospective audit was conducted on consecutively admitted mother-baby dyads between January 2011 and June 2015. Routinely collected maternal Beck Depression Inventory, second edition (BDI-II) scores were analysed for severity and change. A total of 307 mother-baby dyads were admitted during the study period. The majority of mothers was partnered and educated young adults. The average length of stay was 4.4 weeks. The mean age of babies was 3.3 months. One-third of mothers met International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition criteria for two or more psychiatric diagnoses. Unipolar major depression was the commonest diagnosis. Of the 307 mothers, 125 mothers completed BDI-II on admission and on discharge, which showed a mean reduction of 16 points (p < 0.001) on discharge. This study notes the similarities between the clinical profiles of the study population with mother-baby admissions to MBUs worldwide. Maternal depressive symptoms improved by 16 points on the BDI-II over the course of MBU admission, which shows the utility of MBU admission on maternal depressive symptoms.