Postpartum glucose follow-up after gestational diabetes in China: provider and institutional determinants in a multicenter survey across urban public hospitals.

Authors

Yinge Wang, Siying Li, Fangying Huang, Jingya Li, Xue Lian, Lihua Huang, Weizhen Wu, Yingtao Li

Published in

Frontiers in endocrinology. Volume 17. Pages 1887259. Epub Aug 07, 2026.

Abstract

Postpartum glucose follow-up after gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) represents an important opportunity for early diabetes risk identification and long-term type 2 diabetes prevention. Obstetric healthcare professionals play a key role in initiating postpartum follow-up, yet evidence on provider- and institution-related factors influencing implementation in routine obstetric care remains limited.
A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted among 638 obstetric healthcare professionals from 128 participating urban public hospitals across 15 provinces in China. A self-developed questionnaire was refined through two rounds of Delphi expert consultation and evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and robust regression based on a generalised linear model.
Mean scores for knowledge, professional beliefs, and practice were 4.07 ± 0.57, 3.99 ± 0.40, and 3.89 ± 0.73, respectively, indicating that practice lagged behind knowledge and professional beliefs. Knowledge was positively correlated with professional beliefs (r = 0.473, P < 0.001) and practice (r = 0.630, P < 0.001). Participation in specialised GDM training, experience working in a specialist GDM clinic, and self-reported mastery of relevant knowledge were associated with higher scores across domains. Hospital-level differences were observed for practice scores, but these differences did not indicate a simple gradient by hospital level.
This study suggests that implementation of postpartum glucose follow-up after GDM in routine obstetric care is associated with both provider- and institution-related factors. Although obstetric healthcare professionals generally demonstrated good knowledge and positive professional beliefs, practice remained comparatively weaker. Specialised training, clinical experience, and institutional context were associated with implementation-related practice. Future efforts to strengthen training, optimise follow-up pathways, and improve institutional support may help reduce missed opportunities for postpartum follow-up and strengthen long-term diabetes prevention after GDM.

PMID:
42630220
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Aug 2026.

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