For midwives, gestational diabetes is not just a screening step in the pathway, it is a diagnosis that directly shapes how a pregnancy is managed and how a birth is planned. Whether a woman is diagnosed with GDM influences decisions around monitoring, interventions, timing of delivery, and overall risk management. When that diagnosis is delayed, missed, or uncertain, it has real consequences for both mother and baby.
The Limitations of Traditional OGTT Pathways
In traditional pathways, the oral glucose tolerance test introduces more uncertainty than it should. The process is inconvenient for many women, requiring long clinic visits at specific times, often without flexibility should something come up. As a result, a significant number of patients do not attend their appointments, leading to delays or missed diagnoses. Even when testing does take place, the integrity of the sample can be compromised between collection and analysis, creating doubt around whether results truly reflect the patient’s condition1. For midwives, this creates a difficult position, where birth planning decisions may be based on incomplete or unreliable information.
Improving Access and Completion Through At Home Testing
GTT@home addresses both of these challenges by improving access to testing and preventing false negative diagnoses due to sample degradation by analysing the blood samples immediately. By enabling women to complete testing at home, the barriers that often lead to non attendance are removed. Engagement improves, and far more women complete their test within the appropriate timeframe. This means that diagnosis happens when it should, allowing care plans to be put in place earlier and with greater confidence.
Reducing Uncertainty by Preventing Sample Degradation
Equally important is the reliability of the result itself. With no degradation between sample collection and analysis, the glucose values are not affected by preanalytical factors2. For midwives, this reduces the uncertainty that can exist with borderline or questionable results and supports clearer clinical decision making. You can plan care, escalate when necessary, and reassure when appropriate, knowing that the diagnosis is reliable.
Impact on Birth Outcomes and Care Planning
This combination of timely testing and accurate results has a direct impact on birth outcomes. When GDM is identified early and reliably, there is more opportunity to manage it effectively, reducing the likelihood of complications and unplanned interventions later in pregnancy. When it is ruled out with confidence, unnecessary monitoring and anxiety can also be avoided. In both cases, the result is a more appropriate, personalised approach to birth planning.
Building Confidence at a Critical Decision Point
GTT@home strengthens the point in the pathway where everything that follows is determined. For midwives, it provides the assurance that decisions about care and delivery are based on reliable information, supporting safer pregnancies and better outcomes for the women you care for.
2 Navigating Preanalytical Factors in the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test