Poster Presentation Australian Diabetes Society and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association Annual Scientific Meeting 2017

Background:

Ramadan is an important time for Muslims. Whilst the recommendation for women with diabetes in pregnancy should be to abstain from fasting, many women will fast regardless. Bankstown local health district has a diverse population, 26.2% identify as Muslim.¹ Prior to 2016 there was no structured education given about risks of fasting during Ramadan. Each individual identified as potentially fasting was counseled by a diabetes educator and then an endocrinologist regarding the risks and advice was given to not fast.

Aim:

To provide timely information about potential risks of fasting during GDM in an open and general format in advance of Ramadan to enable women to make an informed decision about whether or not to fast.

Method:

We collected data in 2015 about the number of women who fasted but this was a small cohort despite our large Muslim population in GDM clinic. In 2016 we included Ramadan information in group education the month prior to commencement of Ramadan. We believed that by presenting information early and in an open forum; this would make women more open and comfortable to discuss intentions regarding fasting. In addition, patient information sheets regarding fasting and Ramadan developed by one of our Endocrinologists were given to patients³  and a similar guideline was given to health practitioners² to ensure consistent and appropriate information was delivered.

Results:

Conclusion:

Although it would appear more women chose to fast during 2016 compared to 2015, this may be due to missed data from 2015. This year we are hoping to improve data collection to see if there is any change in the number of women choosing to fast. Observation of and feedback from patients suggest women are more satisfied with information presented to them regarding potential risks to their pregnancy and are then able to make an informed decision.