Nursing Interventions in the Management of Gestational Diabetes in Prenatal Care Patients

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) accounts for 90-95% of all cases of diabetes in pregnancy. Family history, obesity and insulin resistance are some of the risk factors of GDM. GDM complications that affect the mother, baby and infant can be long-term or short-term. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the nursing interventions in the management of GDM in prenatal care patients. The method used in this thesis is a literature review with an inductive qualitative content analysis. To gather important literature that is up-to-date, two databases were searched. These are Laurea FINNA and Sage Premier 2012, and a total number of 24 articles accepted. Four main categories in the management of GDM were derived from the data ana-lysed. These include; self-care management, medication, education and training, and social support. It was deduced from the data that there is a distinct lack of know-ledge amongst pregnant women with GDM on how to implement a self-care manage-ment plan in their daily living. As a result, depression, stress, anxiety and eating dis-orders arise. In conclusion, effective management and reduction in the prevalence of GDM is through self-care management. A well-balanced diet through the Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is a chief foundation of managing GDM. Nurses play an important role in counseling and educating women with GDM by providing indepth information on nutrition as stated by a clinical dietician. Nurses require further education and train-ing on the general knowledge, management and prevention of GDM. Aspects such as language and culture should be put into consideration when educat-ing both GDM pregnant women and professional healthcare team in order to have a good comprehension in the effective management of GDM