(Head: Prof Dr Stubert, Rostock University Medical Centre)

The aim of the project is to develop, test and validate a german questionnaire to record disease-specific aspects of the quality of life of women with gestational diabetes.
As a cooperation partner, we are supporting the project management and clinical partners of Rostock University Medical Centre in the methodological implementation of the study, in particular with the qualitative and psychometric analyses.

Although gestational diabetes is becoming increasingly important both in healthcare and in society and many instruments for measuring quality of life already exist, a validated questionnaire that takes into account the specific needs of this target group is lacking in the German-speaking world. This questionnaire aims to measure the quality of life of women with gestational diabetes, focussing on pregnancy-specific aspects. Compared to general or health-related questionnaires, this instrument therefore captures relevant facets that previous measurement instruments have not taken into account.

Taking quality of life into account is crucial to optimise adherence and acceptance of diagnostic and therapeutic measures in women with gestational diabetes. Although these measures have been proven to be effective, an impaired quality of life can reduce the adherence of affected women and thus make it more difficult to implement them in day-to-day care. Acceptance of the disease and adherence to treatment measures help patients to adapt their life situation to diabetes-related requirements, which contributes directly to improving their quality of life. A high quality of life in turn strengthens the patient's sense of security, promotes trust in the medical staff and the treatment methods used, and enables active participation in care.

The availability of a psychometrically tested, disease-specific questionnaire in German-speaking countries enables a scientifically sound investigation of the effects of measures on quality of life. This contributes to improving the quality of care, be it through the implementation of lifestyle interventions or the use of self-management programmes. The reliable evaluation of the effectiveness of diagnostic and therapeutic measures is of great importance, not least from a health economic perspective. The study will determine whether the questionnaire developed has sufficient validity, reliability and sensitivity to change to be used in the future to assess the quality of life of women with gestational diabetes.

Duration: 07/2023 - 06/2026

Funded by the DAMP Foundation