Pre-conception care and support for women with diabetes

This article discusses the National Service Framework for Diabetes: Standards (Department of Health, 2001), with the main focus on Standard 9: diabetes and pregnancy. It concentrates on pre-conception care and support for women with pre-existing diabetes to optimize the outcome of their pregnancy. The rationale for this is the need to understand how this standard affects women with diabetes during childbearing age. Following an introduction to aetiology and epidemiology of diabetes, the author examines the importance of pre-conception care for women with diabetes. An acknowledgement of the deficits within the clinical environment aids recommendations on improvement of education and knowledge for nurses. Health promotion and patient support is emphasized to facilitate an understanding of the impact of diabetes on pregnancy and the necessity of the multidisciplinary team involvement before, during and after birth.