Diabetic retinopathy screening: study to determine risk factors for non-attendance

Scanlon, Peter, Moreton, Robert, Unwin, John, Stratton, Irene and Sachdeva, Ashish (2012) Diabetic retinopathy screening: study to determine risk factors for non-attendance. Diabetes and Primary Care, 14 (5), 308-316.

Abstract

The study objective was to determine the factors that influenced attendance for routine diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening using data from a large GP practice. In total, 611 people with diabetes were invited to attend DR screening in 2008; attendance rates were higher in older individuals (P<0.001) and were inversely associated with HbA1c (P<0.0001) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P=0.014 and 0.005, respectively). A telephone survey was conducted on individuals who had failed to attend DR screening. Of the 198 individuals contacted, reasons for non-attendance included: thinking that attending a hospital eye department or optometrist was adequate (n=44; 22%); not receiving the invitation (n=36; 18%); being unwell (n=24; 12%); being too busy (n=16; 8%); and being on holiday (n=12; 6%). Half of those at highest risk of DR did not attend for screening; the reasons given for non-attendance may be amenable to change with better education and more flexible screening solutions.

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Contributors

Author: Irene Stratton

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