Teleretinography into diabetes integrated care: an Italian experience

Integrated care, by allowing information exchange among health professionals, improves outcomes and favours a reduction in hospital admission in diabetes. Retinal complications can be sight-threatening, and diabetic patients often miss the suggested yearly clinical examination. Teleretinography can...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annali dell'Istituto superiore di sanità€ 2016-10, Vol.52 (4), p.598
Main Authors: Perilli, Roberto, Di Biagio, Rosamaria, Seller, Renato, Ruotolo, Luigi, Granchelli, Carla, Marisi, Valeria, Melena, Stefania, Consoli, Agostino
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated - methods
Diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic Retinopathy - pathology
Diabetic Retinopathy - therapy
Electroretinography - economics
Electroretinography - methods
Female
Fundus Oculi
General Practitioners
Humans
Integrated delivery systems
Italy
Male
Middle Aged
Telemedicine
Telemedicine - economics
Telemedicine - methods
Young Adult
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Summary:Integrated care, by allowing information exchange among health professionals, improves outcomes and favours a reduction in hospital admission in diabetes. Retinal complications can be sight-threatening, and diabetic patients often miss the suggested yearly clinical examination. Teleretinography can be easily performed in patients attending Diabetes Clinics: images are sent to a remote ophthalmologist, grading and instructions are received and forwarded to General Practitioners by a dedicated software. We here report the results of teleretinography performed in our Diabetes Clinic in 362 patients missing the yearly fundus examination: 253 patients showed no diabetic retinopathy, 86 a mild form, and 23 needed referral to hospital settings. Teleretinography is a user-friendly, time-saving and cost-effective technique, easily integrable into integrated care, allowing a better adherence to guidelines.
ISSN:0021-2571
2384-8553
DOI:10.4415/ANN_16_04_22