Patients' attitudes toward screening for gestational diabetes mellitus in the Illawarra area, Australia.

Abstract

To examine the attitudes toward screening of a group of women who have had GDM compared with a group who were screened but did not have GDM. We surveyed 90 women with GDM and 100 control women with a postal questionnaire. They were asked to mark on a six-point Likert scale their responses to statements about certain aspects of screening for diabetes in pregnancy. No significant differences were found in mean responses between the two groups. The method of screening was found to be convenient (GDM group, 5.02; control group, 4.77). A strong belief that all women should be screened in pregnancy (GDM group, 5.76; control group, 5.66) and a personal desire for screening in any future pregnancy (GDM group, 5.73; control group, 5.62) were expressed. Both groups of women surveyed in this study were extremely positive about the convenience of the screening method used, the need for all women to be screened in pregnancy, and their desire for screening in future pregnancies.