Assessment of ocular services status for diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia
Main Article Content
Keywords
Diabetes mellitus, diabetes-related eye complications, eye services
Abstract
Background: Diabetes mellitus is estimated to be the seventh cause of death in the world and it is prevalent in Saudi Arabia about 23.9%. Moreover, individuals with diabetes-related eye complications accounted for about 35.3% of diabetics, and the trend was still on the rise.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the status of the ocular services for diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional study design among healthcare professionals who provide ocular services including ophthalmologists, opticians, optometrists, and physicians. The study included 63 participants, composed of healthcare providers directly involved in providing ocular services in Saudi Arabia. A random sampling technique was used to select eye care provider clinics in the country. Data collection was done through closed-ended questionnaires and observation techniques. The Data were checked for completeness and analyzed using SPPS version 24.0, and presented using tables.
Results: The findings showed that seventy-one percent of the females disagreed that as long as blood sugars are well controlled, there is no need to worry about complications of diabetes mellitus while 35% of males disagreed with the statement. Most 84% of ophthalmologists stated that preventing visual impairments was a crucial matter that needed public attention. Most eye care providers performed dilated fundus examinations. Among the treatment options for diabetic retinopathy, laser coagulation was the most common treatment approach, accounting for 59%. Intravitreous corticosteroids were the least utilized treatment method for diabetic retinopathy. The choice of test to evaluate the diabetic patient's eye depends on whether a doctor he/she is a physician, optometrist, optician, administration of the hospital, or ophthalmologist (p = 0.004). There was not enough evidence to claim that number of patients visiting in a month does not depend on the working place of a doctor (p=0.003).
Conclusion: The number of patients who developed eye-related problems as a complication of diabetes was increasing due to missed diagnoses and lack of adequate optical care in Saudi Arabia. In addition, there were few optical clinics and opticians, compared to other eye professionals, and therefore this limits access to essential eye services by diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia.
References
2. Alharbi AM, Alhazmi AM. Prevalence, risk factors, and patient awareness of diabetic retinopathy in Saudi Arabia: a review of the literature. Cureus. 2020;12.
3. AlMudhaiyan T, AlAmry M, Khandekar R, Al-Ghadeer H. Ocular emergencies visits after corneal transplantation at a Tertiary Eye Care Hospital of Saudi Arabia. Research Square. 2022;1: 1-14.
4. Alqifari SF, AlMharwal B, Aldawish R, Almokhlef SA. Impact of Pharmacist-Led Clinics on Health Outcomes of Patients With Diabetes at a Ministry of Health Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study. Cureus. 2022;14.
5. Rakic S, Albalawi S, Alsukait R, Alqunaibet A. Prevalence and risk factors of NCDs in Saudi Arabia. Noncommunicable Diseases in Saudi Arabia: Toward Effective Interventions for Prevention.2012;1: 7-40.
6. Burki TK. Sugar: the prime suspect in poor health. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 2018;6:16.
7. Bempah OA. Study on Diabetes Complications: A New Perspective on the Mechanism of Their Development. Emerging Trends in Disease and Health Research. 2021; 20:1-5.
8. Robert A, Al-Dawish A, Mujammami M, Dawish, M. Type 1 diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia: A soaring epidemic. International Journal of Pediatrics. 2018;1: 1-9.
9. Makeen, H. A. Clinical pharmacists as medication therapy experts in diabetic clinics in Saudi Arabia – not just a perception but a need. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. 2017; 25:939–943.
10. Le Cam, Y., Bolz-Johnson, M. (2019). Expert by experience: Valuing patient engagement in Healthcare. Patient Engagement. 2018;1: 233–267.
11. Kupcewicz E, Szypulska A, Doboszyńska A. Positive orientation as a predictor of health behavior during chronic diseases. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019;16:3408.
12. Yen V. Prevention of Microvascular Complications of Diabetes–General Overview. Principles of Diabetes Mellitus. 2010:749-53.
13. Hoda M, Hemaiswarya S, Doble M. Diabetes: Its Implications, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management. In Role of Phenolic Phytochemicals in Diabetes Management 2019 (pp. 1-12). Springer, Singapore.
14. Bastion M, Bressler N M, yuhana M, Mohamad, Y. A., Madhaavi, K. M., Phillip, G. J. T., & Norshamsiah, M. D. Comparison of non-mydriatic fundus photography and optical coherence tomography with dilated fundus examination for detecting diabetic retinopathy, including diabetic macular edema. Medicine and Health. 2022; 17:, 88-104.
15. Goorts K, Dizon J, Milanese S. The effectiveness of implementation strategies for promoting evidence-informed interventions in allied healthcare: a systematic review. BMC health services research. 2021 ;21:1-11.
16. Mohammed, A. The knowledge of diabetes and driving recommendations among healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal. 2018; 39: 386-394.
17. Lu, Y.-C., & Li, Y.-C. . How doctors practice evidence-based medicine. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. 2011; 19, 44-49.
18. Khatri N. Crony Capitalism in US Health Care: Anatomy of a Dysfunctional System. Routledge; 2021 Jul 13.
19. Moafa MA, Alrasheed SH. Status of Childhood Eye Care Services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Eye Care Professionals’ Perspectives. The Open Ophthalmology Journal. 2022;16:1-7.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.