Objective: To explore the quality of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) care experienced by women in China and how it could be improved.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted at a municipal hospital in south east China. Women who had been diagnosed with GDMat 34–38 weeks of pregnancy were enrolled during two periods;between May 1 and July 31, 2012, and between April 1 and July 31, 2013. Data regarding patient-perceived care quality were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and were analyzed by qualitative content analysis.

Results: The study enrolled 44 patients; the interviews recorded a lack of professional care resources for GDM, a lack of high-quality personalized care for women with GDM, and patients’ suggestions regarding how to improve GDM care.

Conclusion: The participants reported a lack of high-quality GDM care, describing the core problem as an imbalance between over-stretched hospitals and low-efficiency under-utilized primary healthcare centers. Clinical-practice reforms identified, particularly in primary healthcare settings, included improving services through increasing the number of health professionals and material resources to comply with diabetes guidelines, and incorporating a humanistic approach in the provision of care