Gestational diabetes & diabetes in pregnancy
A qualitative enquiry into the lived experiences of women with type 1 diabetes using closed‐loop insulin delivery in pregnancy in the CIRCUIT trial
Authors' conclusion
Managing T1D while pregnant is an independent and isolating endeavour, due to the 'invisible labour' involved and the lack of knowledge about T1D management in personal networks. Support from partners and care providers alleviated stress. Experiences with intrapartum care providers who had limited T1D understanding were perceived as a challenge by some for maintaining autonomy. The closed-loop system was seen as a 'gamechanger' in T1D pregnancy management, with unanimous perception of positive impacts that far outweigh any challenges. Use of this closed-loop system has potential to vastly improve pregnancy experiences among those with T1D.
Study context
- Population
- Pregnant women with T1D using closed-loop insulin delivery in the CIRCUIT trial
- Participants
- 18 CIRCUIT RCT participants
- Outcome
- Lived experiences of closed-loop use in T1D pregnancy
Methodological detailssemi-structured individual interviews, inductive thematic analysis, nested in the CIRCUIT RCT, Two team members analysed verbatim transcripts
- Semi-structured individual interviews
- Inductive thematic analysis
- Nested in the CIRCUIT RCT
- Two team members analysed verbatim transcripts
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Four major themes: independence and isolation; support is key; closed-loop impacts; control and autonomy
- Diabetes management in pregnancy was emotionally overwhelming and managed largely independently
- Closed-loop was a gamechanger for diabetes management during and after pregnancy
- Transition to and use of the technology would not have been possible without the healthcare team's support
- Control for best glycaemic outcomes and autonomy over treatment decisions permeated all themes; perceived loss of autonomy was associated with high anxiety
Original publication
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