New mothers on Medicaid who had gestational diabetes were far more likely to get a follow-up diabetes test within about a year of giving birth when a trained navigator helped them through the health system, according to a randomized trial at a Chicago hospital. In a small subgroup of 31 patients, 15 of 16 with a navigator (94%) were screened, compared with 6 of 15 (40%) who received usual care, AJMC reported.
That finding is a secondary result, and the subgroup is too small to give a precise estimate. The trial also missed its main goal. Researchers had hoped navigators would help more patients complete all six recommended parts of postpartum care by 12 weeks, but only 9.4% of navigated patients and 7.9% of usual-care patients did so, a difference that was not statistically significant.
