"Dealing with ambiguity" - the role of obstetricians in gestational diabetes mellitus.

• Objective. Gestational diabetes mellitus is a pregnancy-related complication; hence obstetricians counsel and manage the maternal health care for these women. This study describes obstetricians' experiences of management of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Design. Interview study. Setting. Hospital-based specialist maternal health care clinics in Sweden. Population. A consecutive purposive national sample of seventeen obstetricians providing maternal health care to pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. Methods. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Result. The overall theme describing the experiences of the obstetricians was labeled 'Dealing with ambiguity'. This ambiguity permeated all aspects of working as an obstetrician within the maternal health care; the role of the obstetrician, the context of organization, the multifaceted maternal and fetal interests to balance, and lack of consensus, recommendations and evidence-based knowledge. Conclusions. The study revealed the ambiguous situation experienced and managed by obstetricians providing maternal health care to pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. This indicates a need for national guidelines and standardized maternal health care services regarding gestational diabetes mellitus to fulfill the intentions of the health care system. Such recommendations may be beneficial and supportive for the health care professionals as well as for the mother-to-be and her fetus.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Reproduktionsmedicin och gynekologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Adult

Aged

Attitude of Health Personnel

Diabetes

Gestational

therapy

Female

Humans

Male

Middle Aged

Obstetrics

Physician's Role

Practice Guidelines as Topic

Pregnancy

Prenatal Care

methods

organization & administration

Sweden

Uncertainty

Gestational diabetes mellitus

Obstetrics and women's diseases

obstetrik och gynekologi

Hälsa och välfärd

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)