Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in Private Practice

Introduction: Diabetic mellitus (DM) is a prevalent disease in Hong Kong (HK) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common complications of DM. Screening for DR is a cost-effective method to identify patients who are at risk of vision loss so that timely treatment can be provided to patients. In Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority has recently set up screening services (RAMP) in the government outpatient clinics and all DM patients attending these clinics will be screened at least once every two years and some every six months, according to their individual risks. However, those diabetic patients who attend the private sector for their primary care may not have access to this service.

Aim: This study from the University of Hong Kong aims to determine the characteristics of a sustainable approach to setting up an effective and quality-controlled screening service for DR in the private primary care sector of Hong Kong and to estimate the potential benefit to be gained in terms of impact on avoidable vision loss, costs of care and potential for further development of this model in chronic disease care.

Methods:A screening centre is being set up and a randomised study carried out in which screening will be offered at three different fee levels to subjects recruited by their general practitioner (GP). The following data will be collected (a) willingness to attend screening at the different fee levels (b) screening findings in terms of DR and other eye diseases (c) risk factors and other characteristics of those screened and unscreened. The information will allow us to estimate the level of fee which best combines effectiveness with sustainability in the longer term.