Cost Effectiveness of Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy In A Primary Care Setting Using Non-Dilated Direct Ophthalmoscopy
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common cause of irreversible blindness among individuals with diabetes mellitus.While early detection and treatment can halt or retard progression of disease in 50% to 90% of cases, only 50% of patients comply with recommended screening protocols.Low compliance rates may be due to the invasiveness of procedures, access to specialized care (e.g., ophthalmologists), and overall cost of screening methods.New technology has allowed for the development of non-dilated, direct ophthalmoscopy tools that provide more accurate and less invasive screening.Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the cost effectiveness of screening for DR by comparing the current gold standard method, a dilated fundus examination conducted by an ophthalmologist, to the innovative and less invasive non-dilated direct ophthalmolscopy conducted by a non-ophthalmic physician.Results indicated that the non-dilated direct ophthalmoscopy exam, conducted by a nonophthalmic physician, was more cost effective.
Author: Robert A. MacKenzie
Institution: Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Topic: Retinal Imaging and Analysis
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2617755335