DKBmed to Present Findings from Diabetic Retinopathy Quality Improvement Initiative at ADA 84th Scientific Sessions

DKBmed to Present Findings from Diabetic Retinopathy Quality Improvement Initiative at ADA 84th Scientific Sessions
Contact: MATT MILLER
Phone: 646-336-6495
Fax: 646-336-6497
Email: [email protected]

NEW YORK (6/20/2024) – DKBmed, LLC presents their findings on the impact of a continuing medical education (CME) and quality improvement (QI) initiative in diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening in primary care settings at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 84th Scientific Sessions, held from June 21-24, 2024, in Orlando, Florida.

Lesley Simon, Medical Director of DKBmed, will deliver these findings during her oral abstract presentation titled "Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy Increases by 33% with Education and Intervention Program in Primary Care" on Friday, June 21at 2:30pm. The abstract will also be published on the journal Diabetes® website.

DR is the leading cause of new-onset blindness among adults in the US.1 More than one-quarter of people living with diabetes have DR.2 Despite strong recommendations for regular screening by the ADA and the American Academy of Ophthalmologists, screening for DR remains suboptimal.3 Furthermore, racial inequities impact DR screening rates in the United States.4

DKBmed launched an educational and screening initiative at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health (LGH) supported by an independent educational grant from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to improve DR screening rates. Clinicians received online education to reinforce key concepts in DR, including the pathophysiology of DR, and patients received education about the importance of regular screening. The initiative also included the installation of a tele-retinal imaging service at LGH primary care offices and a referral coordinator to facilitate referrals to retina specialists for patients found to have DR or another vision abnormality.

“Our activity shows that CME interventions can improve patient care,” commented Simon. “The screening rate for DR improved by 33%, and 40% of the people who were screened through our program had DR that was not previously in their medical record.”

The education and imaging intervention not only improved overall DR screening rates but also significantly increased rates among Hispanic individuals (75%), patients aged 18 to 54 (55%), and those with initial A1C levels of <6.3 (38%) and >8.4 (39%).

References:

  1. Eppley SE, Mansberger SL, Ramanathan S, Lowry EA. Characteristics Associated with Adherence to Annual Dilated Eye Examinations among US Patients with Diagnosed Diabetes. Ophthalmology. 2019 Nov;126(11):1492-1499. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.05.033. Epub 2019 Jun 15. PMID: 31281055
  2. Lundeen EA, Burke-Conte Z, Rein DB, Wittenborn JS, Saaddine J, Lee AY, Flaxman AD. Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the US in 2021. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2023 Aug 1;141(8):747-754. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.2289. PMID: 37318810; PMCID: PMC10273133
  3. Flaxel CJ, Adelman RA, Bailey ST, et al. Diabetic Retinopathy Preferred Practice Pattern® [published correction appears in Ophthalmology. 2020 Sep;127(9):1279. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.06.047]. Ophthalmology. 2020;127(1):P66-P145. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.09.025
  4. Patel D, Ananthakrishnan A, Lin T, Channa R, Liu TYA, Wolf RM. Social Determinants of Health and Impact on Screening, Prevalence, and Management of Diabetic Retinopathy in Adults: A Narrative Review. J Clin Med. 2022;11(23):7120. Published 2022 Nov 30. doi:10.3390/jcm11237120

About DKBmed

DKBmed is an integrated continuing medical education company operated by an experienced team of medical education experts. DKBmed provides health care professionals with effective medical education that closes identified knowledge and practice gaps to improve patient health.

Working with accredited providers and other partners, DKBmed develops innovative educational programs and quality improvement (QI) initiatives, bringing new learning methodologies to the CME landscape. DKBmed has become a leader in QI in the independent medical education space with QI projects in Pain Management, HIV, Depression, Influenza, and Diabetic Eye Disease. DKBmed was also an early adopter of case scenarios with real patients and live actors, TED/DKBmed Talks, 3D animation, webcasts, podcasts, and smart phone applications for clinicians and patients. These forward-thinking approaches enable health care professionals to learn and access educational programs in a manner that is most convenient and appropriate for them.

DKBmed’s programs are accessible through the company’s website (www.dkbmed.com). They reach more than 150,000 health care professionals in primary care and in a variety of specialties and disease states including: HIV, COVID-19, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, influenza, dermatology, retinal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, COPD, asthma, multiple sclerosis, pain management, depression and viral hepatitis (HBV, HCV) and oncology.