Annual Diabetic Eye Exams in a Rural Population: Patients lost to Follow-Up in the Era of COVID-10

Location

D.P. Culp Center Ballroom

Start Date

4-5-2024 9:00 AM

End Date

4-5-2024 11:30 AM

Poster Number

103

Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor

Brent Aebi

Faculty Sponsor's Department

Ophthalmology

Classification of First Author

Clinical Doctoral Student

Competition Type

Competitive

Type

Poster Presentation

Presentation Category

Health

Abstract or Artist's Statement

Annual Diabetic Eye Exams in a Rural Population: Patients lost to Follow-Up in the Era of COVID-10 Maria Schulz and Dr. Brent Aebi, Quillen College of Medicine, ETSU, Department of Ophthalmology In order to decrease the risk of permanent vision loss from diabetes, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends annual screening for diabetic retinopathy (DR) for patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Annual screening should begin at diagnosis with type 2 DM or within 5 years after diagnosis with type 1 DM. According to the AAO, although diabetes is the leading cause of visual impairment in working-age adults worldwide, only about 60% of patients with diabetes receive their annual diabetic eye exam. In this project, chart review is performed on a cohort of diabetic patients at the ETSU Internal Medicine clinic who had not had their annual diabetic eye exam. The aim is to better understand risk factors for falling off the diabetic retinopathy surveillance schedule as well as to gain insight on patient patterns to guide provider communication and overcome barriers to care. Results were presented virtually at the annual Rural Health Association of Tennessee Poster Competition. Chart review was performed on a group of 199 patients, and data was collected on their age, sex, time since last eye exam, percent of cohort with diabetic retinopathy, number of comorbidities, hemoglobin A1C, creatinine, systolic blood pressure, and ACI/ARB use. Of the 199 patients, 10.55% had a previous diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Creatinine was higher in the subset of patients with a prior DR diagnosis (P=0.0094), and it was also higher as the number of comorbidities rose (P=0.0011). There was no difference in time since the last DR exam in the group with a prior DR diagnosis compared to the group without a DR diagnosis (P=0.4715). Given the common etiology of diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy, an increased sCr should increase suspicion for DR and prompt a discussion about the importance of follow-up with an ophthalmologist. Provider communication about the importance of annual follow-up should be consistent, and patients with a prior DR diagnosis cannot be assumed to be more likely to follow-up than their non DR counterparts.

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Apr 5th, 9:00 AM Apr 5th, 11:30 AM

Annual Diabetic Eye Exams in a Rural Population: Patients lost to Follow-Up in the Era of COVID-10

D.P. Culp Center Ballroom

Annual Diabetic Eye Exams in a Rural Population: Patients lost to Follow-Up in the Era of COVID-10 Maria Schulz and Dr. Brent Aebi, Quillen College of Medicine, ETSU, Department of Ophthalmology In order to decrease the risk of permanent vision loss from diabetes, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends annual screening for diabetic retinopathy (DR) for patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Annual screening should begin at diagnosis with type 2 DM or within 5 years after diagnosis with type 1 DM. According to the AAO, although diabetes is the leading cause of visual impairment in working-age adults worldwide, only about 60% of patients with diabetes receive their annual diabetic eye exam. In this project, chart review is performed on a cohort of diabetic patients at the ETSU Internal Medicine clinic who had not had their annual diabetic eye exam. The aim is to better understand risk factors for falling off the diabetic retinopathy surveillance schedule as well as to gain insight on patient patterns to guide provider communication and overcome barriers to care. Results were presented virtually at the annual Rural Health Association of Tennessee Poster Competition. Chart review was performed on a group of 199 patients, and data was collected on their age, sex, time since last eye exam, percent of cohort with diabetic retinopathy, number of comorbidities, hemoglobin A1C, creatinine, systolic blood pressure, and ACI/ARB use. Of the 199 patients, 10.55% had a previous diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Creatinine was higher in the subset of patients with a prior DR diagnosis (P=0.0094), and it was also higher as the number of comorbidities rose (P=0.0011). There was no difference in time since the last DR exam in the group with a prior DR diagnosis compared to the group without a DR diagnosis (P=0.4715). Given the common etiology of diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy, an increased sCr should increase suspicion for DR and prompt a discussion about the importance of follow-up with an ophthalmologist. Provider communication about the importance of annual follow-up should be consistent, and patients with a prior DR diagnosis cannot be assumed to be more likely to follow-up than their non DR counterparts.