title: Gestational diabetes in a tertiary care hospital: implications of applying the IADPSG criteria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The American Diabetes Association has endorsed the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Groups (IADPSG) recommendation that every pregnant woman should undergo the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to screen for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To find the cost and workload implications of switching from the current two-step screening of GDM to the one-step IADPSG approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cost (US $) and laboratory workload units (WLU) were calculated for three possible strategies: (1) 50 g glucose screen, if positive, followed by the 100 g OGTT; (2) universal 75 g OGTT; and (3) screening with the initial fasting plasma glucose of the OGTT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the 1,101 pregnant women screened in 1 year, the cost of the three strategies was $ 31,985, $ 55,250 and $ 35,875, respectively; the laboratory burden was 28,975 WLU, 18,662 WLU and 12,215 WLU, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Switching to the one-step, strategy 2 (IADPSG) would increase the cost by 42 % but decrease the laboratory workload by 36 % compared to the two-step, strategy 1. However, an initial screen by the fasting plasma glucose of the OGTT is the ideal strategy, both in terms of cost and laboratory workload.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, UAE University, P.O. Box 17666, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. magarwal7@gmail.com
authors.forename: Mukesh M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: Gurdeep S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Dhatt
authors.forename: Yusra
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Othman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000097:blood / Q000191:economics*; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers / Q000191:economics*; D055815:Young Adult