Type 2 Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in a General Practice: A Five-Year Retrospective Analysis

Aim To assess current standards of diabetic retinopathy screening in primary care against the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Moreover, to determine whether individuals with diabetes were screened for diabetic retinopathy no later than three months from referral to the local eye screening service and no later than one year from their last retinal screen. Materials and methods A single-center, retrospective audit was undertaken at a small general practice. Data was collected from the health records of individuals placed on the type 2 diabetes register from 01/01/2013 to 01/01/2018. Individuals who were diagnosed with diabetes whilst registered at a different practice, who had pre-diabetic retinal screening or were referred onto a different screening pathway were excluded. A total of 50 records were audited and data collection involved demographics, dates individuals were placed on the diabetes register and dates of attendance and non-attendance to screening. Results 16.0% of individuals with type 2 diabetes underwent retinal screening which adhered to the NICE guidelines. Of the cohort which did not adhere, 59.5% experienced an interval greater than three months between diagnosis and first retinal screening and 64.3% experienced a screening interval greater than one year. Conclusions Diabetic retinopathy screening of individuals must be improved to meet the NICE standards. Interventions should be implemented to increase the awareness within general practitioners and practice nurses to ensure all people with diabetes receive their first retinal screen within the first three months of diagnosis with regular annual screening thereafter.