Leading experts and advocates in the diabetes field came together recently to deliberate how to enhance the prevention, screening, and management of diabetes-related vision complications. The Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) Barometer hosted a symposium, “The case for improving outcomes in diabetic retinopathy”, took place as part of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Congress 2019 in Busan, South Korea.

During the session, Prof David Owens, Clinical Lead for Diabetic Retinopathy, Swansea Medical School, United Kingdom, highlighted how DR is a crucial and underestimated predictor for other diabetes-related systemic complications, such as nephropathy, cerebrovascular, cardiovascular and peripheral vascular complications.

“The presence of retinopathy should alert us to the possibility of the co-existence of other micro and macrovascular complications of diabetes - even more so in severe cases of retinopathy,” Prof Owens said. “This relationship between diabetic retinopathy and other potential complications highlights the need for a multi-disciplinary approach. There is a community of several different specialties involved in the care of diabetes and they should be coordinated.”

During a panel discussion, Ms. Renza Scibilia, Manager of Type 1 Diabetes and Consumer Voice at Diabetes Australia, Vice-President, Blue Circle Member, International Diabetes Federation and Dr Jason Baker, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Attending Endocrinologist (Weill Cornell Medicine) Medical Director, Co-Founder (Marjorie's Fund), joined Prof Owens to discuss how to improve coordinated care in DR, as well as how patient education and empowerment and guidelines and protocols can support better patient outcomes.

Dr Jason Baker, who also lives with type 1 diabetes, noted it was important that those living with diabetes understood that complications do not need to be inevitable and that complications must not be associated with blame.

“When you really look at the data, we know that controlling your diabetes numbers and keeping your sugar levels close to a normal range dramatically reduces the risk for complications,” Dr Baker said. “As healthcare professionals, we have to instill hope for the future outlooks within our patients.”

During the discussion, it was also noted that while guidelines and protocols around DR exist, many healthcare professionals still report not being aware of or utilizing them. However, while the precise recommendations for each healthcare setting may vary, the uptake and ongoing utilization of guidelines and protocols are critical to helping assess progress and enable improved consistency in care.

The DR Barometer Program brings together experts from across disciplines who are focusing on enhancing the three areas of patient education and empowerment, guidelines and protocols, and coordinated care – called the DR Barometer Communities of Practice.


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