Diabetes in pregnancy: are we providing the best care ... - HQIP

12.7.1 Panel comments on suboptimal care of babies on the labour ward
Panels made 95 comments for the 62 babies whose care on the labour ward was suboptimal (table 12.11).
The most frequently recorded issues were: a) inappropriate timing of blood glucose testing b) no close
early contact between mother and baby/ missed breastfeeding opportunities c) allowing the baby to get
cold and d) no plan of care.
Table 12.11
Panel comments on suboptimal care on the labour ward (table contains information following categorisation of free
text)
Babies with suboptimal care on labour
ward
(N=62)
No. of comments % of babies
Total comments 95
Blood glucose 22 36
Done too soon 7
Delayed 5
No monitoring 2
Substandard management 7
No documentation 1
Feeding 23 37
Delayed 7
No skin-to-skin contact/breastfeeding opportunity 12
Breastfeeding impaired/overturned 2
Other management 1
No documentation 1
Temperature 29 47
Allowed to get cold 12
No monitoring 9
Not documented 8
Overall management 16 26
No clinical assessment 2
No plan of care 12
No guidelines/protocol 2
Other 5 8
12.8 Written management plans
It is important to have a clear written management plan at birth for babies of women with diabetes, to help
staff on the neonatal unit and midwives on the postnatal ward to direct their neonatal care appropriately.
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