Effect of Gestational Diabetes Clinical Pathway Application on Maternity Nurses' Performance

Background: A clinical pathway is an integrated care plan designed with the required and time-bound care by the multidisciplinary team to shorten the period of hospitalization and enhance cost-effectiveness, patient outcome, and degree of satisfaction. The purpose was to assess the effect of gestational diabetes clinical pathway application on nurses' performance. Design: The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental research design. Settings: This study was conducted at MCH Centers in Shebin EL-Kom and Tala City in Menoufia Governorate. Sampling: This study involved a convenient sample of 30 maternity nurses. Instruments: A structured self-administered questionnaire for the nurses and an observational checklist. Results: Maternal nurses' knowledge of all components of the gestational diabetes clinical pathway improved after the intervention, as evidenced by higher knowledge (93.3%) and performance scores (100%) for improvement than pre-intervention. This difference between pre-and post-application of the clinical pathway was statistically significant. Conclusion: using clinical pathways has had a positive impact on maternity nurses' knowledge and performance post-application compared to pre-application. Recommendations: A gestational diabetic care training program for maternity nurses is recommended to enhance nurses' performance based on the clinical pathway application.