Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy in Communities

Twelve retinopathy screening clinics serving 489 diabetic patients were conducted in three Michigan communities as part of the outreach effort of the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center. Screening activities were initiated by local diabetes educators who conducted a program designed to promote detection of diabetic eye disease and increase patient and health care provider awareness of accepted ophthalmic evaluation guidelines. This experience suggests that retinopathy screening clinics can be successfully conducted if health care professionals in the community consider diabetic retinopathy to be a serious problem, one individual is willing to oversee the organizational aspects of the clinic, and an ophthalmologist with laser treatment capability is present or nearby. These clinics are effective in detecting diabetic eye disease and facilitating subsequent patient visits to an ophthalmologist for evaluation in accordance with national recommendations.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68539/2/10.1177_014572179201800205.pd

Evaluation of an Activated Patient Diabetes Education Newsletter

This study evaluated a monthly; activated patient newsletter sent to over 7000 patients in Michigan with diabetes. The newsletter provided concise and action-oriented information about diabetes care. Patients who had signed up to receive the newsletter during the first 4 months of the project (1863) were surveyed to determine how many patients found the newsletter helpful; 80% (1498) of the patients replied. Patients who found the newsletter most helpful were older, had lower incomes, and reported more corrtplications, less understanding of diabetes, and being in poorer overall health. They also were more likely to have non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) than insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). We concluded that the activated patient newsletter is a useful public health/patient education intervention for persons with diabetes. Such a newsletter should be part of a coordinated system of ongoing patient care, education, screening, and social and psychological support.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68904/2/10.1177_014572179402000106.pd