[Attitude survey of diabetic patients visiting the department of internal medicine as outpatients].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the awareness and understanding of ophthalmologic complications by diabetic patients and assess the problems.


METHODS
In August 1999, a questionnaire survey was done of 3,613 diabetic outpatients attending the Department of Internal Medicine at Tokyo Women's Medical University Diabetes Center.


RESULTS
Patients who understood diabetic retinopathy as ophthalmological complications were 54.4% and those to whom physicians explained the complications were 33.8%. Patients who were recommended to receive an eye examination by physicians were 66.4% and those who continued to attend the eye clinic were 61.8%. Patients who had ophthalmological complications explained by physicians were 74.2%.


CONCLUSIONS
Few patients understood diabetic retinopathy as a diabetic ophthalmological complication. To encourage the awareness and understanding concerning diabetic retinopathy, it is important to form a tight relationship between physicians and ophthalmologists and to improve the system for educating patients.
Nakamura
Shinko
S
Department of Ophthalmology, Diabetes Center, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
Funatsu
Hideharu
H
Shimizu
Erika
E
Kitano
Shigehiko
S
Hori
Sadao
S
D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000523:psychology*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires