PURPOSE:
India is witnessing a rising burden of GDM, which now affects an estimated 9-16% of pregnancies (Mantri et al., 2024), with projections suggesting this could increase to 20%, potentially impacting one in five pregnancies (MoHFW). Although universal screening for GDM has been integrated into India’s national guidelines, suboptimal implementation and shortage of trained sexual and reproductive healthcare professionals (SRHPs) highlight urgent need to improve GDM care (Sahu et al., 2021).

DISCUSSION:
To address this, Maternity Foundation, in collaboration with government and World Diabetes Foundation, launched an initiative in Madhya Pradesh, India to build the SRHPs capacity in GDM screening and management to ensure it becomes part of routine maternal care. Under this initiative, two modules on GDM and antenatal care (ANC) were designed and added to the Safe Delivery App (SDA), a digital self-learning tool which provides SRHPs with access to evidence-based and up-to-date clinical guidelines on managing birth and related emergencies. A structured cascade training model was implemented, integrating the SDA as a core component of the training. 67 SRHPs from two aspirational districts were trained as master trainers, who subsequently trained 1016 healthcare professionals on GDM and ANC.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
Post-training assessments showed a 20-percentage point increase in knowledge scores, and confidence in performing GDM-related tasks improved from 33.9% to 47.6%. SDA usage data confirmed active engagement during and after training for self-directed learning. So far, 169,000+ SRHPs have used SDA in India, with GDM content accessed 138543 times by users. Health Management Information System (HMIS) suggest improved uptake of GDM screening practices following the intervention.

KEY MESSAGE:
Digital learning platforms like the SDA, when embedded in structured capacity-building initiatives, can effectively strengthen GDM screening and management. The Safe Delivery+ approach supports improved maternal and newborn health outcomes by enabling timely diagnosis, treatment, and continuity of care. Education - competency development 1 (including three-minute presentation competition)