Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Monitoring of Early Stage Disease in Australian General Practice: Tackling Preventable Blindness within a Chronic Care Model

Introduction. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in Australia. Up to 50% of people with proliferative DR who do not receive timely treatment will become legally blind within five years. Innovative and accessible screening, involving a variety of primary care prov...

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Main Authors: Lisa Crossland, Deborah Askew, Robert Ware, Peter Cranstoun, Paul Mitchell, Andrew Bryett, Claire Jackson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Journal of Diabetes Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8405395
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author Lisa Crossland
Deborah Askew
Robert Ware
Peter Cranstoun
Paul Mitchell
Andrew Bryett
Claire Jackson
author_facet Lisa Crossland
Deborah Askew
Robert Ware
Peter Cranstoun
Paul Mitchell
Andrew Bryett
Claire Jackson
author_sort Lisa Crossland
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in Australia. Up to 50% of people with proliferative DR who do not receive timely treatment will become legally blind within five years. Innovative and accessible screening, involving a variety of primary care providers, will become increasingly important if patients with diabetes are to receive optimal eye care. Method. An open controlled trial design was used. Five intervention practices in urban, regional, and rural Australia partnered with ophthalmologists via telehealth undertook DR screening and monitoring of type 2 diabetes patients and were compared with control practices undertaking usual care 2011–2014. Results. Recorded screening rates were 100% across intervention practices, compared with 22–53% in control practices. 31/577 (5%) of patients in the control practices were diagnosed with mild-moderate DR, of whom 9 (29%) had appropriate follow-up recorded. This was compared with 39/447 (9%) of patients in the intervention group, of whom 37 (95%) had appropriate follow-up recorded. Discussion and Conclusion. General practice-based DR screening via Annual Cycle of Care arrangements is effective across differing practice locations. It offers improved recording of screening outcomes for Australians with type 2 diabetes and better follow-up of those with screen abnormalities.
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issn 2314-6745
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publishDate 2016-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-50880b3f199244cb95f4d711c3d2009e2025-08-20T03:36:15ZengWileyJournal of Diabetes Research2314-67452314-67532016-01-01201610.1155/2016/84053958405395Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Monitoring of Early Stage Disease in Australian General Practice: Tackling Preventable Blindness within a Chronic Care ModelLisa Crossland0Deborah Askew1Robert Ware2Peter Cranstoun3Paul Mitchell4Andrew Bryett5Claire Jackson6Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, QLD 4006, AustraliaDiscipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, QLD 4006, AustraliaSchool of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Level 2, Public Health Building, Herston Road, Herston, QLD 4006, AustraliaStrathpine Specialist Centre, Dixon Street, Westfield Strathpine, Strathpine, Brisbane, QLD 4500, AustraliaCentre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute and Discipline of Ophthalmology and Eye Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaHealthcare Improvement Unit, Healthcare Innovation and Research Branch Clinical Excellence Division, Department of Health, Queensland Government, Level 2, 15 Butterfield Street, Herston, QLD 4006, AustraliaDiscipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Level 8, Health Sciences Building, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, QLD 4006, AustraliaIntroduction. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in Australia. Up to 50% of people with proliferative DR who do not receive timely treatment will become legally blind within five years. Innovative and accessible screening, involving a variety of primary care providers, will become increasingly important if patients with diabetes are to receive optimal eye care. Method. An open controlled trial design was used. Five intervention practices in urban, regional, and rural Australia partnered with ophthalmologists via telehealth undertook DR screening and monitoring of type 2 diabetes patients and were compared with control practices undertaking usual care 2011–2014. Results. Recorded screening rates were 100% across intervention practices, compared with 22–53% in control practices. 31/577 (5%) of patients in the control practices were diagnosed with mild-moderate DR, of whom 9 (29%) had appropriate follow-up recorded. This was compared with 39/447 (9%) of patients in the intervention group, of whom 37 (95%) had appropriate follow-up recorded. Discussion and Conclusion. General practice-based DR screening via Annual Cycle of Care arrangements is effective across differing practice locations. It offers improved recording of screening outcomes for Australians with type 2 diabetes and better follow-up of those with screen abnormalities.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8405395
spellingShingle Lisa Crossland
Deborah Askew
Robert Ware
Peter Cranstoun
Paul Mitchell
Andrew Bryett
Claire Jackson
Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Monitoring of Early Stage Disease in Australian General Practice: Tackling Preventable Blindness within a Chronic Care Model
Journal of Diabetes Research
title Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Monitoring of Early Stage Disease in Australian General Practice: Tackling Preventable Blindness within a Chronic Care Model
title_full Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Monitoring of Early Stage Disease in Australian General Practice: Tackling Preventable Blindness within a Chronic Care Model
title_fullStr Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Monitoring of Early Stage Disease in Australian General Practice: Tackling Preventable Blindness within a Chronic Care Model
title_full_unstemmed Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Monitoring of Early Stage Disease in Australian General Practice: Tackling Preventable Blindness within a Chronic Care Model
title_short Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Monitoring of Early Stage Disease in Australian General Practice: Tackling Preventable Blindness within a Chronic Care Model
title_sort diabetic retinopathy screening and monitoring of early stage disease in australian general practice tackling preventable blindness within a chronic care model
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8405395
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