title: Telepaediatrics and diabetic retinopathy screening of young people with diabetes in Queensland.
abstract: We have examined the feasibility of a telemedicine-enabled screening service for children and adolescents with diabetes in Queensland. There are approximately 1400 young people with diabetes in Queensland and only about two-thirds of them are screened in accordance with international guidelines. A regional retinal screening service was established using a nonmydriatic digital retinal camera. Seven centres volunteered to participate in the study. During a five-month pilot trial, 83 of the young people with diabetes who attend these centres underwent digital retinal screening (3.7%). Retinal images were sent via email to a paediatric ophthalmologist for review and results were returned via email. A copy of each participant's results was forwarded by mail to the referring diabetes doctor and the participant and family. The majority of the image files (96%) were rated as excellent or good. Only one participant was identified as having an abnormal result. Participants and their families expressed satisfaction with the digital retinal screening process.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Online Health, University of Queensland, Royal Children's Hospital, Herston, Australia. jstillman@ccs.uq.edu.au
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Stillman
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gole
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wootton
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Woolfield
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van der Westhuyzen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011793:Queensland; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*