Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Diabetic Retinopathy among Medical Officers and Diabetic Patients in Ogun State, Nigeria

Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy (DR), is one of the most common complications of diabetes, and recent cases of legal blindness among people of the age bracket 20-74 years. Knowledge of DR among healthcare providers is paramount as they have a key role to play in the management and prevention of DR. Knowledge of DR among patients would help them to identify early signs of DR and report for care timely.

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) among Medical Officers (MO) and diabetic patients in Ogun State of Nigeria.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Data on awareness of DR among medical officers in 14 general hospitals were obtained by telephone using a structured questionnaire. A structured questionnaire was also used to collect data from diabetic patients on their awareness of DR and the proportion undergoing ophthalmic examination.

Setting: Diabetic clinics based in three hospitals in Ogun state.

Methods: The study was conducted between June and August 2010. Medical officers in all the general hospitals (general hospitals are managed by general practitioners, GP) were interviewed via telephone while one teaching hospital and two state hospitals (headed by specialists) were randomly selected to conduct face-to-face interviews with diabetic patients. Data obtained from these interviews was filled into a structured questionnaire. The diabetic patient data was entered into Microsoft Excel and using stata transfer 10 into stata 11. Chi- square/fisher exact test was used to assess the association between attending for eye examination and sociodemographic factors.

Results: All the medical officers in the general hospitals were aware that DM affects the eyes while 43% believed that diabetic patients need a monthly eye examination. About 36% examined the eyes of diabetic patients on each visit. All medical officers would refer a diabetic with poor vision to an ophthalmologist. The majority (75%) of the patients recruited were female. The majority of diabetic patients at the state hospitals and the general hospitals in Ogun state are not receiving a regular eye exam. Fifty-one per cent of patients were not aware that diabetes affects the eyes while only 35% had ever had a fundoscopy.

Conclusions: The medical officers in the general hospitals in the state are all aware that diabetes can cause DR but don’t have eye clinics. Less than half of them (43%) screen for DR. Known diabetics are not having regular eye examinations.