Eye and foot checks in patients with diabetes on haemodialysis: Are they done,and who does them?

• Published in: World journal of diabetes 2017-09, Vol.8 (9), p.436-439
• Main Authors: Mothojakan, Nadira Bibi, Hussain, Shazia, McCafferty, Kieran, Yaqoob, Mohammed Magdi, Chowdhury, Tahseen Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Retrospective Study
• ISSN: 1948-9358; 1948-9358
• DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v8.i9.436

AIM To determine if retinal and foot checks are carried out on patients with diabetes receiving haemodialysis.METHODS Eighty-four patients with diabetes receiving haemodialysis were asked if they recalled having eye and foot screening in the last year, and if so, by whom was the check done.RESULTS Seventy-seven(91.7%) patients recalled having an eye check in the preceding 12 mo. Of these, 52(67.5%) did so in an ophthalmology clinic, 17(22%) in retinal screening, three(3.9%) in an optician clinic. Three patients(3.9%) went to both ophthalmology and retinal screening, and two (2.6%) attended an ophthalmology and optician. Seventy (83.3%) patients recalled having a foot check in the preceding 12 mo. Of these, 33 (47.1%) were done by practice nurse, 14 (20%) by a diabetes nurse, 11 (15.7%) by a general practitioner, eight (11.4%) by a chiropodist, and four (5.7%) were each checked by renal nurse, diabetes consultant, junior doctor, or unknown person at a foot clinic.CONCLUSION Most patients with diabetes on haemodialysis are able to recall having an eye check in the last year, although 8.3% could not. A significant proportion of patients could not recall having a foot check (16.7%) in the last year. This baseline audit suggests that an improvement in the rate of foot screening is important to achieve in patients with diabetes on haemodialysis in our unit.