The frequency of acceptance of oral glucose tolerance test in Turkish pregnant women: A single tertiary center results.

Objective: It is thought that there is not enough data about the frequency of acceptance of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in Turkish pregnant women. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of acceptance of OGTT among participants in our single tertiary center. Methods: The data of non-diabetic 344 pregnant women seen at the Obstetrics Clinic of our hospital between September 2016 and September 2017 were obtained from the hospital records. Women who did not have regular follow-up during pregnancy were excluded. One of the two or one-step approaches was used in the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) depending on the choice of the physician following the patient. Results: There were 223 subjects eligible for the study. One hundred seventy-seven pregnant women (79.4%) accepted to do OGTT. We determined that 46 women (20.6%) did not complete at least one OGTT, of whom 74% (n=34) never completed the recommended screening test in this cohort. The overall frequency of GDM was approximately 15.2% (n=34). OGTT acceptability was higher among pregnant women with university graduates (p=0.02). Adverse pregnancy outcomes were similar between the accepted and rejected groups. Among the reasons for OGTT rejection, the media had a significant influence (n=35). Conclusion: Our results show that a significant percentage of patients refused to do OGTT. Therefore the actual frequency of pregnant women with GDM could not be determined. One way to increase compliance may be recommending only the one-step test for pregnant women in countries with a high rejection rate of OGTT.

Analysis of the Prophylactic use of Hydroxychloroquine at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Physicians.

Objective: Throughout the pandemic, physicians working at the frontlines have embarked on various quests to protect themselves, and many physicians preferred using hydroxychloroquine (HQN) as a prophylactic agent. This study aimed to investigate the reasons leading physicians to use HQN and its effects on them. Materials and Methods: This study is cross-sectional with a target population of physicians working in pandemic hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. We invited participants from seven hospitals via email between May 14 and June 13, 2020. An online questionnaire, including 57 questions, was sent to physicians. Results: A total of 148 (26%) physicians out of 564 participants had used hydroxychloroquine for prevention. Older physicians and those with a history of exposure to COVID-19 patients without protection used prophylactic HQN more frequently. The use of HQN did not differ statistically in terms of being infected among the exposed physicians (p=0.52). Nineteen (13%) physicians using HQN developed side effects related to the drug. Diarrhea and nausea were the most common. Conclusion: Prophylactic HQN use was more common among physicians older than 40 years and with higher exposure rates to a COVID-19 patient without protection. The physicians working on the front line had the highest rate of infection. HQN was not effective in the prophylaxis of COVID-19 among the exposed physicians.