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©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Obstet Gynecol. May 20, 2022; 11(2): 17-19
Published online May 20, 2022. doi: 10.5317/wjog.v11.i2.17
Published online May 20, 2022. doi: 10.5317/wjog.v11.i2.17
Self-monitoring of blood glucose in gestational diabetes mellitus patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries
Sumanta Saha, Department of Community Medicine, R. G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata 700004, West Bengal, India
Author contributions: Saha S conceptualized, designed, and drafted all versions of this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflict of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Sumanta Saha, DNB, MBBS, Doctor, Teacher, Department of Community Medicine, R. G. Kar Medical College, 1, Kshudiram Bose Sarani, Kolkata 700004, West Bengal, India. sumanta.saha@uq.net.au
Received: August 31, 2021
Peer-review started: August 31, 2021
First decision: November 17, 2021
Revised: November 19, 2021
Accepted: May 12, 2022
Article in press: May 12, 2022
Published online: May 20, 2022
Peer-review started: August 31, 2021
First decision: November 17, 2021
Revised: November 19, 2021
Accepted: May 12, 2022
Article in press: May 12, 2022
Published online: May 20, 2022
Core Tip
Core tip: The barriers to self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), one of the main treatment components in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), remain underexplored among women in low and middle-income countries during the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic when the emphasis is on telemedicine-based care. Based on the facts known in this context, plausible barriers to SMBG in GDM patients include: Poor internet connectivity, affordability of SMBG and digital applications to connect with healthcare providers, government-imposed lockdowns to decrease COVID-19 transmission, psychological stress, and mental health conditions. However, only definitive research will provide the correct answers.