Use of a clinical-laboratory score to guide treatment of gestational diabetes
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Updated: Feb 22, 2026

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Published on: June 11, 2012
Juliana B do Valle1,2, Jean C Silva1, Daniela S Oliveira1
1Postgraduate Program in Health and the Environment, University of the Region of Joinville - Univille, Joinville, Brazil.
Objective:
To assess the outcomes of implementing a clinical-laboratory score in the treatment of pregnant women with gestational diabetes.
Methods:
A retrospective before-and-after implementation analysis was undertaken using data and neonatal outcomes for pregnant women with gestational diabetes treated before (January 2011-December 2012; control group) and after (January 2013-December 2014; score group) introduction of a newly developed score. To evaluate the effects of score adoption, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated after adjustment for confounding factors.
Results:
The control group included a greater proportion of women treated with diet alone (170/312 [54.5%]) than the study group did (122/391 [31.2%]; P<0.001). By contrast, more women in the study group received metformin (172 [44.0%] vs 77 [24.7%]; P<0.001). The neonatal outcomes, including low Apgar scores at 1 minute and at 5 minutes and neonatal intensive care unit admission, were similar in both groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the adoption of the score did not significantly affect the choice of treatment or the birth weight rating.
Conclusion:
The score served well as an orientation tool in therapeutic decision making and had no negative effect on the treatment choice and perinatal outcomes.
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