COVID-19 and self-care strategies for women with gestational diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background and aim: The outbreak of the emerging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health emergency. According to the findings, women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk of this virus. Due to the need for quarantine and social distancing in the current disease situation and need to receive repeated medical care in GDM patients, this review study aimed to evaluate the self-care strategies for women with GDM during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: 25 related articles from 2011 to 2020 and 3 guidelines were reviewed with the keywords of gestational diabetes mellitus, diabetes, pregnancy and COVID-19 in combination with self-care and self-management in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Elsevier, Springer, Wiley Online Library and SID.

Results: According to the results of the studies, face-to-face visits should be limited and instead, telemedicine services recommended. Self-care throughout telemedicine services were improved maternal and neonatal outcomes in women with GDM.

Conclusion: Although self-care program through telemedicine services is beneficial for women with GDM, performing clinical trials are recommended to assess maternal and neonatal outcomes in this condition.

Keywords: COVID-19; Gestational diabetes mellitus; Self-care; Self-management; Telehealth; Telemedicine.