Continuity of Care After Gestational Diabetes – Health Professional Perspectives

This study explores the perspectives of health professionals on improvement of prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus and continuity of care for women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus.

Despite of recommendations only few women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus participates in follow-up screening and health promotive and preventive activities, due to experiences of a lack of continuity and absence of health professional support in the transition between primary and secondary sector, potentially increasing the women´s risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

The hermeneutic analysis identified several health professional perspectives on improvement of the care pathway for women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus. Three main themes and two subthemes emerged. The health professionals found that sharing of information and coordination was lacking in the transition between health professionals and sectors, creating a gap in the women’s care. They presented several possibilities to provide the women with a designated health professional, but also identified several barriers for holding this role, mainly time and resources.
This study reveals that an increased sharing of information, a designated health professional and an elaborate plan are important factors to secure coordination and collaboration between health professionals and sectors in the effort to create continuity of care for women with prior