Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Screening During Pregnancy - Essay Example

The setting

Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy are often unaware of their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes within ten years compared with pregnant women without gestational diabetes. Early intervention can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, aid in treatment, and reduce the mortality rate. Early screening of women after 24 weeks of giving birth can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The implementation plan is for targeted screening of at-risk women six months after birth in public health centers. The program will focus on screening of women considered medium to high-risk in three selected communities, following which, the program will recommend a universal screening program.

The screening of women 24 weeks after delivery is essential as it increases the chance of screening in detecting the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The at-risk women in this program are those from low-income families in the selected communities. Herrick, Keller, Trolard, Vooper, & Olsen ( 2019) offer a study of women to show gestational diabetes prevalence rate among racial and ethnic minorities and women of lower socioeconomic status. It shows the challenges the women face even in accessing screening. (Lim, et al., 2019) also, provide research into high-risk issues associated with weight. Women with a family history of diabetes, obese, or of advanced age are also part of the target group as they are at risk. The mothers will consent to participate in the voluntary screening, and through their contacts, the program will follow-up with them in the 24 weeks to confirm their consent. They will then receive an invitation with the day, time, and location of the voluntary screening. Future programs will conduct universal screening as mothers who are in the low-risk category can also develop type 2 diabetes within ten years.

• Timeline

The timeline for the project is 12 months, which will include registration, engagement, the screening period, and final follow-up. The first month will be registration, followed by five months of engagement and awareness with the women after birth, diagnosed with gestational diabetes. There will be three months of voluntary screening, followed by three months of observation, follow-up, and reporting.

Action

Duration

Registration

1 month

Engagement

5 months

Screening

3 months

Follow-up

3 months

• Resources

The screening program will require two health facilities in each of the three targeted communities. The program will target the public health centers in these communities as the venue. Moreover private health facilities will receive an invitation to offer their centers. The human resource will include doctors, obstetricians, nurses, community health workers, and volunteers. The equipment will consist of the relevant screening clinical tools, protective attires, gowns, beds, tents, and appropriate medications.

• Education of personnel

Education and training of personnel responsible for the program will take place within the first six months. The training will consist of three sessions, lasting two weeks each with nurses, doctors, health workers, and volunteers undertaking separate training for the first two sessions. It is vital to give each category of personnel their respective training, as they will be performing different roles during the screening. The final session of training will bring everyone together for a comprehensive session to harmonize all the relevant procedures. The last session is vital to ensure everyone involved in the program is aware of what will be happening, the procedures, and what is essential. It will also provide a basic level of information for everyone so they can answer any questions that the participants will have.

Session

Duration

Target group

1st session

2 weeks

Separate groups

2nd session

2 weeks

Separate groups

3rd session

2 weeks

Joint

• Methods of Data Collection

The screening will be clinical and data collected through the relevant clinical apparatus. The doctors will provide a report for each case that undergoes screening. Following their findings, they will give recommendations for further actions. The nurses will take essential data concerning family history with diabetes, high blood pressure, and glucose levels of all patients, and they will categorize based on findings from the screenings as low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk. The community health workers will collect personal information for those who fall under medium and high-risk and all other patients that the doctors will recommend for follow-ups. Chivese, Norris, and Levitt (2019) provide a study on the importance of follow-up in the detection of type 2 diabetes. The community health workers will also provide a questionnaire to gauge the success of the program. A Likert scale will be in use to measure the services, information, and usefulness of the screening program.

• Challenges

The program anticipates encountering challenges along the way that may affect its performance and success. There is a high chance that the patients will not want to participate in the program and not give their contacts for follow-up. After six months, follow-ups of women six months after birth will be a challenge as some may relocate, be too busy, or not wish to take part in the program. The six-month follow-up will rely on the personal data of the patients stored accurately. There is a risk for loss of data, misrepresentation, and mix-up within six months.

For the 12 months of the program, it will require considerable funding to recruit the personnel for training, screening, equipment, and community awareness. The nurses and community health workers will need compensation and facilitation within the six months as they conduct follow-up. The equipment has to be of the best quality and standard for the screening. It will be a challenge to secure funding for all these requirements.

Effective communication and awareness will help to encourage women to take part in the program. If they understand the need and benefits of the program, they are likely to be forthcoming with their contact information. After six months, they could experience a change of attitude, and this will require a monthly follow-up to engage them. The follow-up period will be crucial to creating a positive attitude towards the screening.

The patient data will be crucial for the success of the follow-up, and it is essential to ensure the data is not lost. The data management will involve monthly updates and confirmation, and both digital and hardcopy storage. Proper data collection during the screening is vital for future actions and implementation plans. There will be a two-step verification of the data during the screening carried out first by the nurses, and then by the health workers.

Funding is an essential aspect of the program, and this will involve reaching out to partners, stakeholders, and well-wishers. The program will target several organizations that take part in social programs relating to diabetes. Several organizations that are within the targeted communities will be part of the stakeholders targeted to support the project. They will include companies that manufacture medical supplies will also be part of the list of partners that can offer funding or material support. Government agencies and organizations that fight against diabetes will provide support through the facilitation of materials, and experts for training. Early targeting of partners, donors, stakeholders, and volunteers will enable proper management of resources.

Screening can help in the early detection of diabetes and make treatment effective. Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy do not know that they are at risk of type 2 diabetes. Pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes within 10 years compared with pregnant women without gestational diabetes. The program will begin with at-risk women then scale up to a universal screening program.