Obstetricians seldom provide postpartum diabetes screening for women with gestational diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to determine whether obstetrician-gynecologists provided postpartum type 2 diabetes mellitus screening for women with a history of gestational diabetes.


METHODS
We identified women diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and then assessed whether obstetrician-gynecologists provided postpartum diabetes mellitus screening by ordering American Diabetes Association-recommended glucose tests or by referring women to primary care physicians for such testing.


RESULTS
Of 2617 gravid women with a 1-hour glucose challenge test, 90 had gestational diabetes and postpartum follow-up. Only 20.0% (18/90) of women with a history of gestational diabetes had documented orders from obstetrician-gynecologists for American Diabetes Association-recommended postpartum diabetes mellitus screening tests. Even when we broadened our definition of "providing postpartum diabetes mellitus screening" to also include referrals to primary care physicians, only 33.3% (30/90) of women met such criteria.


CONCLUSIONS
Obstetrician-gynecologists at an academic medical center did not provide postpartum diabetes mellitus screening for 66.7% of women with a history of gestational diabetes.
Almario
Christopher V
CV
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Ecker
Teresa
T
Moroz
Leslie A
LA
Bucovetsky
Lynne
L
Berghella
Vincenzo
V
Baxter
Jason K
JK
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009774:Obstetrics; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010414:Pennsylvania; D049590:Postpartum Period; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data