Conference abstract
Awareness of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients and its association with attendance to systematic screening in Tanzania
Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2024:21(35).29
Apr 2024.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2024.21.35.2366
Archived on: 29 Apr 2024
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Diabetic retinopathy, awareness, systematic screening
Oral presentation
Awareness of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients and its association with attendance to systematic screening in Tanzania
Alpha Charles Maugira1,&, Feng Hui2
1Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Dar es salaam City Council, Tanzania, 2Central South University Hunan, China
&Corresponding author
Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision loss in adults globally. The ratio of diabetic retinopathy among PLWD worldwide accounts for 1:3, studies report that; whenever the client’s awareness of the systemic effects of DM is high, their need for regular screening is low. This study determined the association between awareness of diabetic retinopathy and attendance to systematic screening in Tanzania.
Methods: a cross-sectional design was used to investigate diabetic patients attending outpatient clinic at KCMC Hospital. Convenient sampling was employed to select 217 participants. Adopted questionnaire was used in data collection. SPSS was used for data analysis.
Results: despite a high awareness level of DR reflected by 97.7% of participants, only 29.1% of participants attended for systematic screening. There was no association between awareness of DR and attendance to systematic screening.
Conclusion: health education efforts on DR have been successful and underscore the importance of widening health education programs. With regard to the gap between awareness and attendance to screening, there is a need for interventions beyond instilling awareness, such as improving access to screening facilities for all population groups, i.e. rural and remote areas, and addressing transportation barriers. The study recommends task shift to other professionals i.e. nurses to independently consult, examine and manage risk for DR, this will and alleviate the burden on specialized eye care providers. Strengthening the Health information system will help track PLWD and reminding appointments. Future research could focus on identifying specific barriers and exploring innovative interventions to improve screening uptake.
Awareness of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients and its association with attendance to systematic screening in Tanzania
Alpha Charles Maugira1,&, Feng Hui2
1Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Dar es salaam City Council, Tanzania, 2Central South University Hunan, China
&Corresponding author
Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision loss in adults globally. The ratio of diabetic retinopathy among PLWD worldwide accounts for 1:3, studies report that; whenever the client’s awareness of the systemic effects of DM is high, their need for regular screening is low. This study determined the association between awareness of diabetic retinopathy and attendance to systematic screening in Tanzania.
Methods: a cross-sectional design was used to investigate diabetic patients attending outpatient clinic at KCMC Hospital. Convenient sampling was employed to select 217 participants. Adopted questionnaire was used in data collection. SPSS was used for data analysis.
Results: despite a high awareness level of DR reflected by 97.7% of participants, only 29.1% of participants attended for systematic screening. There was no association between awareness of DR and attendance to systematic screening.
Conclusion: health education efforts on DR have been successful and underscore the importance of widening health education programs. With regard to the gap between awareness and attendance to screening, there is a need for interventions beyond instilling awareness, such as improving access to screening facilities for all population groups, i.e. rural and remote areas, and addressing transportation barriers. The study recommends task shift to other professionals i.e. nurses to independently consult, examine and manage risk for DR, this will and alleviate the burden on specialized eye care providers. Strengthening the Health information system will help track PLWD and reminding appointments. Future research could focus on identifying specific barriers and exploring innovative interventions to improve screening uptake.
