EBP Project Abstract
Appraised by: Jill Mostad, Sarah Koch, Mohamed Jalloh
Clinical Question:
Does ECT manage/decrease depression in pregnant women with no major side effects?
Articles:
Bhatia, S.C., Baldwin, S.A., & Bhatia, S.K. (1999). Electroconvulsive therapy during the third
trimester of pregnancy. The Journal of ECT, 15(4), 270-274. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Bulbul, F., Copoglu, U. S., Alpak, G., Unal, A., Demir, B., Tastan, M. F., & Savas, H. A. (2013).
Electroconvulsive therapy in pregnant patients. General Hospital Psychiatry,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2013.06.008
Miller, L. J. (1994). Use of Electroconvulsive therapy during pregnancy. Hospital and
Community Psychiatry, 45(5), 444-450.
Synthesis of Evidence:
The study by Bhatia, Baldwin and Bhatia (1999) is a small descriptive case study which looks at only two
different women. Bhatia (1999) concluded that ECT was an effective treatment for both patients. Bulbul
F., Et al, (2013) is a retrospective cohort study of 33 patients. In their study 91.6% of the patients with
manic, depressive and mixed bipolar episode gained the full benefits of ECT. Which indicate that the
application of ECT in every episode of patient with bipolar disorder could be efficient and reliable. The
last study by Miller (1994) was a systematic review that looked at 300 cases involving ECT and
pregnancy. According to Miller (1994) the use of ECT during pregnancy to treat major mood disorders is
safe and effective is steps are taken to decrease potential risks.
The overall quality of the studies are good, with reasonably consistent results indicating that the
administration of ECT during pregnancy to treat psychiatric disorder was found to be an effective
treatment method with little side effects. One of the study had small sample size which can make a
difference in the quality of the study; however, the other two studies have sufficient sample size. The
studies have similar recommendations suggesting Electroconvulsive therapy use in pregnancy for women
who have psychiatric disorder is effective and has little side effects.
Bottom Line: (findings)
ECT is a safe and effective treatment for pregnant women with depression.
Implications for Nursing Practice:
Nurses will be able to inform depressed pregnant women about the option of ECT treatment when
appropriate because the studies and existing literature show the ECT is a safe and effective treatment
method for depression.