ABSTRACT
Objective:
To assess the accuracy of general practitioners in recognizing diabetic retinopathy through color retinal retinography, with a two-hour training course, by comparing the capacity of screening and classifying diabetic retinopathy.
Methods:
In the first arm of the study, of 142 diabetic patients included, 274 eyes were evaluated, and these patients were examined with an indirect binocular ophthalmoscope and classified according to the degree of diabetic retinopathy. In the second arm of the study, 14 physicians who are not specialists in ophthalmology received two-hour training to diagnose diabetic retinopathy with color retinography, and the accuracy of these professionals in screening for diabetic retinopathy before and after the training course was measured using the photographic images obtained on the first front of the study.
Results:
There was a significant increase in sensitivity (82% to 99%) and specificity (44% to 83%) in detecting diabetic retinopathy by general practitioners, after attending the training.
Conclusion:
Qualified general practitioners can assess diabetic retinopathy through color retinography, and the screening program for this diabetes complication is a viable and beneficial proposal for the country.
Keywords:
Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic retinopathy; Screening; Primary Health Care; General practitioners