PONE-D-24-41745Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on uptake and experiences of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Screening in Ontario: A parallel convergent mixed-methods studyPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Vanstone,

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PLOS ONE

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SM is supported by a Canada Research Chair in Maternal and Child Obesity Prevention and Intervention. DG is supported by a CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Chair and Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar Award." Please state what role the funders took in the study.  If the funders had no role, please state: ""The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript."" If this statement is not correct you must amend it as needed. Please include this amended Role of Funder statement in your cover letter; we will change the online submission form on your behalf. 4. Thank you for stating the following in the Acknowledgments Section of your manuscript: "This study was supported by ICES, which is funded by an annual grant from the Ontario  Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Long-Term Care (MLTC). This document used data adapted from the Statistics Canada Postal CodeOM 416 Conversion File, which is based on data  licensed from Canada Post Corporation, and/or data adapted from the Ontario Ministry of Health  Postal Code Conversion File, which contains data copied under license from ©Canada Post  Corporation and Statistics Canada. Parts of this material are based on data and/or information  compiled and provided by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Ontario  Ministry of Health. The analyses, conclusions, opinions and statements expressed herein are  solely those of the authors and do not reflect those of the funding or data sources; no  endorsement is intended or should be inferred. We acknowledge Caroline Mniszak’s  contributions to the interview guide and recruitment strategies." We note that you have provided funding information that is not currently declared in your Funding Statement. 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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: Thanks for good and reliable data of this important topic. The paper is complete in every section with sufficient information. Please explain more about the reason that you chose this topic. In title: is assessing or evaluating?

Reviewer #2: A well planned, carefully conducted convergent mixed-methods study that provides valuable insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on gestational diabetes screening. Following series of reporting guidelines, the authors examine the changes in uptake, modality, and experiences of GDM screening in Ontario, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors conclude that despite health system challenges, GDM screening rates increased in the study population, demonstrating the success of adapted GDM screening guidelines.

Below are some recommendations.

Their paper is well written, however, I feel that the discussion around the differences between each year metrics needs to be expanded in terms of possible explanations for the differences and accounting for the introduction of modifications to the diagnostic algorithm in a chronological order (as mentioned at Line 354 'this may be attributed to the evolving screening guidance introduced for high-risk persons in late 2021') This will give better understanding of why the authors have arrived at their conclusions.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes: Diego J. Aparcana-Granda

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Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on uptake and experiences of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Screening in Ontario: A parallel convergent mixed-methods study

PONE-D-24-41745R1

Dear Dr. Vanstone,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

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Kind regards,

Dongmei Li

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments: