Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus is a condition that affects many pregnancies and ethnicity appears to be a risk
factor. Data indicate that approximately 18% of Tamil women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. Today,
approximately 50,000 of Tamils live in Switzerland. To date, there is no official tool available in Switzerland that considers the
eating and physical activity habits of this migrant Tamil population living in Switzerland, while offering a quick overview of
gestational diabetes mellitus and standard dietetics management procedures. The NutriGeD project led by Bern University of
Applied Sciences in Switzerland aimed at closing this gap. The aim of this present study was to evaluate the implementation
potential of the tools developed in the project NutriGeD for dietetic counseling before their wide scale launch in Swiss
hospitals, clinics and private practices.
Method: An online survey was developed and distributed to 50 recruited healthcare professionals working in the German
speaking region of Switzerland from October – December 2016 (31% response rate). The transcultural tools were sent to
participants together with the link to the online survey. The evaluation outcome was analysed using binary logistic regression
and cross tabulation analysis with IBM SPSS version 24.0, 2016.
Results: 94% (N=47) respondents believed that the transcultural tools had good potential for implementation in hospitals
and private practices in Switzerland. A binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the age of participants had a good
correlation (42.1%) on recommending the implementation potential of the transcultural tool. The participants with age group
34- 54 years old where the highest group to recommend the implementation potential of the transcultural tool and this was
found to be statistically significant (p=0.05). 74% (34 out of 50) of the respondents clearly acknowledged the need for
transcultural competence knowledge in healthcare practices. 80% (N =40) of the respondents agreed that the information
presented in the counseling display folder was important and helpful while 60% (N= 30) agreed to the contents being clinically
applicable. 90% (N=45) participants recommended the availability of the evaluated transcultural tools in healthcare settings
in Switzerland.
Conclusion: The availability in healthcare practice of the evaluated transcultural tools was greatly encouraged by the Swiss
healthcare practitioners participating in the survey. While they confirmed the need for these transcultural tools, feed-backs
for minor adjustments were given to finalize the tools before their official launch in practice. The developed materials will be
made available for clinical visits, in both hospitals and private practices in Switzerland. The Migmapp© transcultural tool
can serve as a good approach in assisting healthcare professionals in all fields, especially professionals who practice in areas
associated with diet - related diseases or disorders associated with populations at risk.
Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus among Indigenous women and comparison with non-Indigenous Australian women: 1990-2009
