Poster Presentation Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand and Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society Joint Scientific Meeting 2017

Educating Midwives in the Management of Women with Diet treated Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (#170)

Megan Gemmill 1 , Amanda Aylward 1 , Julia Zinga 1 , Tom Cade 1 , Alison Nankervis 1
  1. Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia

Antenatal care at The Royal Women's Hospital Melbourne, is provided through a ‘TeamCare’ approach, supporting continuity of care with midwives, doctors and allied health professionals throughout a woman’s pregnancy. Historically, the antenatal care of a woman with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) has been provided through specialist Diabetes clinics. Recent research data indicate women with diet treated GDM (DT-GDM) have similar outcomes to the non-GDM population [1]. With the aim of maintaining continuity of care and delivering best practice for women with GDM, midwives have been educated in the antenatal management of women with DT-GDM.

This current study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this education in meeting the learning needs of midwives for the management of women with DT-GDM.

An education session was facilitated by a Diabetes Educator, Dietitian and Endocrinologist or Obstetrician, covering the topics of; introduction to GDM, interpretation of blood glucose monitoring, basics of dietary management, common clinical scenarios in the management of women with DT-GDM. This session was evaluated with a questionnaire, assessing knowledge and confidence regarding DT-GDM management. 30 midwives have attended the education session to date.

Preliminary evaluation indicates all midwives felt the information provided in the session has sufficiently prepared them for the management of women with DT-GDM, with confidence levels in clinical management increasing. Following the success of the education session and the introduction of an ongoing online competency module, the antenatal management of women with DT-GDM is now being led by midwives, supporting continuity of care throughout a woman’s pregnancy.

Further research needs to be undertaken to evaluate the obstetric outcomes of midwifery led care of women with diet DT-GDM.

 

[1] F. Vally, J. Presneill and T. Cade, Macrosomia rates in women with diet controlled gestational diabetes: a retrospective study. Journal of Pregnancy. https://www.hindawi.com (accessed 8th August 2017)