Vol. 6, Issue 3, Part A (2023)

Background: Diabetes in pregnancy represents a significant risk for both the mother and fetus, and this requires health care professionals to have individualized knowledge and management plans. The consensus of increasing maternal diabetes in pregnant women in Al diwaniya indicates a necessity for healthcare professionals' training.

Aim: To explore health care professionals' current knowledge levels on managing diabetes in pregnant women and determine whether a structured education intervention program works in Al diwaniya health care settings at Al diwaniya city.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was implemented to 15 health care facilities in multiple areas in Al diwaniya city from January 2022 to January 2023. The study included 245 health care professionals (doctors, nurses, and midwives) in maternal receiving care. The structured educational program consisted of; workshop, case-based learning reviews and assessments with practical modules adult learning opportunity. The study used validated questionnaires for the knowledge assessments before the start of the intervention, after the intervention, and 3 months later, and finally, 6 months later.

Results: The overall knowledge scores before the intervention was about 58.3% (SD±12.4). The physicians had better knowledge of the management of diabetes than the nurses (68.2% to FH 52.1%) and midwives (54.8%) did. The overall mean post-intervention scores were 84.6% (SD±8.9) immediately after the structured education program and decreased to 78.9%, (SD±10.2) after the 6-month follow up. There was the largest gain in practice management skills (increase of 43.2%) scores increased and risk assessment (increase of 38.7%) capacities.

Conclusion: The structured educational interventions significantly improved the knowledge and competencies of health care professionals regarding management of diabetes in pregnant women. However, the overall knowledge retention decreased over time. Continuous learning assessments and professional development and scheduling regular refresher training in Iraqi health care settings is essential for maintaining health care professional’s knowledge about management diabetes in pregnancy.