Increasing Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in Resident-Run Clinic Through Partnership With Ophthalmology Clinic: A...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Early detection of diabetic retinopathy is crucial for preventing vision loss.
• Diabetic patients often miss recommended screening appointments.
• Current screening rates are suboptimal, particularly in underserved populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance diabetic retinopathy screening rates.
• To implement an interspecialty partnership between primary care and ophthalmology.
• To facilitate direct scheduling of screening appointments at the point of referral.

Main Methods:

• A 6-month pilot intervention was conducted at a resident-run primary care clinic serving a medically underserved population.
• Primary care staff were trained to schedule patients directly for ophthalmology screening.
• Screening completion rates and no-show rates were compared before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Diabetic retinopathy screening completion rates significantly increased from 34.7% to 40.5% (p = .01).
• The no-show rate improved from 66.7% to 46.0%, though this change was not statistically significant (p = .44).

Conclusions:

• The interspecialty partnership successfully increased diabetic retinopathy screening completion rates.
• Addressing patient no-shows remains an area for future improvement.
• This initiative represents a positive step towards ensuring all diabetic patients receive timely screening.