EPDS-Inuktitut

EPDS-Inuktitut is a culturally adapted mobile screening app that helps healthcare providers and patients complete the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in Inuktitut. Designed for use with Inuit patients in Nunavik, the app delivers a validated, regionally tuned questionnaire with dialect selection and audio playback so users can answer in the dialect and script they know best. EPDS-Inuktitut guides users through each item, calculates scores automatically, and summarizes clinical risk levels to make perinatal mental health screening more accessible and easier to document in community care settings.

Key Features

⭐ Dialect selection lets users choose between supported Inuktitut variants spoken in Nunavik so the questionnaire appears in the most familiar regional form.

⭐ A guided screening process presents the 12-item assessment one question at a time to help respondents focus and complete the tool with minimal confusion.

⭐ The survey includes the translated original EPDS questions plus two culturally specific items that reflect how perinatal distress can be expressed locally.

⭐ Audio playback supports listening to the introduction and questions in Inuktitut using syllabics, roman orthography or the English back-translation, improving accessibility for non-readers.

⭐ Automated scoring and clear risk classification produce both standard EPDS and extended scores, giving clinicians a concise result overview for follow-up.

Advantages

✅ Designed for Nunavik communities, the app reduces language barriers and helps clinicians deliver culturally relevant screening.

✅ Built-in audio, dialect options and single-question presentation improve usability for patients with different literacy or language preferences.

✅ Automatic score calculation and a detailed response review save time for healthcare staff and support consistent documentation.

✅ EPDS-Inuktitut supports recording patient details and clinical notes so results can be linked to individual care and follow-up actions.

Disadvantages

❎ EPDS-Inuktitut is a screening tool only and does not provide a clinical diagnosis; elevated scores require professional assessment.

❎ The app was developed for Nunavik dialects and may not cover all Inuktitut variants used in other regions.

❎ Clinical interpretation and follow-up are required after screening, so the app functions as an aid rather than a standalone care solution.