title: Improving diabetic retinopathy screening through a statewide telemedicine program at a large federally qualified health center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of acquired blindness in U.S. adults. Early detection prevents progression. Screening rates are only 10% in medically underserved populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A statewide telemedicine-based program within primary care centers was implemented to improve DR screening, detection and referrals for underserved patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, descriptive study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 568 adults were screened during a comprehensive nurse visit from July 2009-June 2010 and had complete data available. Nearly 60% were minorities and 24% were uninsured. A total of 145 cases of DR were identified. The majority were recommended to return in one year for follow-up, while 75 were referred to a specialist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Telemedicine using digital imaging technology in the primary care office is a strategy that can be used to screen underserved and at-risk patients for DR, increase compliance with screening, and streamline specialist referrals.
authors.affiliation: Community Health Center, Inc., Middletown, CT, USA. Nwando@chc1.com
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Olayiwola
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Sobieraj
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kulowski
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: St Hilaire
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000592:standards*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States